Fighting Spirit
by milkblush
Summary: Emma Swan is an underdog MMA fighter who is basically an unknown in the sports world. She is about to fight an undefeated MMA champion, Regina 'The Queen' Mills. The fight was the beginning of how the two women met. What followed after the fight change the lives of both fighters forever.
1. Chapter 1

Emma Swan had dreamt of this moment for years. Ever since she joined her Mixed Martial Arts gym, 'Believe', she felt a new sense of purpose. She still could not believe that she was about to enter the fight cage of 'Venus Fighting Championship', the biggest All-Female Fighting Championship in the United States of America. Not only was she participating in one of the fights, she was fighting the title fight for the Flyweight category.

Despite the excitement, Emma was nervous as her competition is an undefeated crowd favourite, Regina Mills. They called her 'The Queen of the Cage' or 'The Queen' for short. She had an impressive record of fifteen wins, eight Knockouts, five submissions, and two by decision. She had been fighting for ten years and had participated in Venus FC since its inception three years ago.

In contrast, Emma had only fought three cage MMA fights on a small scale in California and four Muay Thai fights held by her gym. The blonde had only lost once while fighting with an injury. She had sustained a fractured joint in her elbow during training and had lied that she had fully healed. It was her first cage fight and she did not want to forfeit from that fight. Her ill-advised decision caused her to further injure her elbow and lose the fight.

The young fighter enjoyed fighting. She trained almost every single day for at least three hours each day. Her best friend and roommate, Lily, teased that she practically lived at that gym. After all, it was Lily Page who introduced Emma to a world of Mixed Martial Arts and that changed both of their lives for the better.

Before living in a tiny apartment in Outer Mission, San Francisco, both Emma and Lily had been living on the streets of Tenderloin. Emma ran away from her foster family at the age of seventeen to follow her boyfriend Neal Cassidy to go on tour across America with his band 'The Henchmen'. They were a death metal band that spent more time shooting up heroin than actually practising their music.

Neal and his band often got kicked out of the clubs they were scheduled to perform in for trashing up the place or picking fights with the patrons. They would steal or break into houses to get money to fund their addiction.

One day, Neal was caught breaking into an old man's home. He did not know that there was somebody in the house. The old man had a shotgun and shot him dead on the spot while he was trying to flee from the scene.

Emma had been devastated when she found out about it. To make matters worse, the band she was travelling with only let her stick around because of her boyfriend and now with him dead, they abandoned her in San Francisco with no money, no lodging and a heroin addiction.

Lily was the same age as Emma and had been on the street for months before meeting the blonde. She spotted Emma passed out under a bridge where other junkies lived and gave her some water. The two of them had been inseparable since.

The two ladies turned tricks to make money to buy more drugs. This continued for almost a year until one day, while Lily was on a high, one of the other junkies tried to have his way with the young brunette. Emma was with a 'John' at that time so Lily had been on her own. Thankfully, the blonde was only gone for a short while and was on her way back to their tent when she saw the man trying to undress the semi-conscious brunette. Long story short, Emma punched the man in his face, giving him a broken nose and he quickly fled.

The two girls swore off drugs from then on but it wasn't an easy feat. They found that it was easier to turn tricks when they were high. They ended up moving to a different part of the city, keeping away from the cesspool of addicts that littered the streets. They tried finding proper work but the heroin withdrawal had been hell. Determined to turn their lives around, the two girls stood by each other's side. They collected tin cans and glass bottles to sell to the recycling centres.

One day, while looking for recyclables, Lily came across a gym that offered free self-defence classes as a youth outreach programme. Emma and Lily attended the class and before they knew it, they found that the gym had literally saved their lives. They were able to defend themselves out on the streets, and now with more confidence, luck seemed to finally turn around for them.

When an opening in the maintenance department opened up at the gym, both girls got employed there to maintain the gym equipment and clean the gym after each class. Finally, after several months, they managed to rent a small apartment with two other youths who were also members of the gym.

When Emma was at work, she would spend the day observing the moves taught during the classes and practised them on her own after everybody had left. One of the trainers, Killian Jones, noticed Emma doing this and offered to train her personally. He noticed that she picked up on new techniques very quickly, and seeing that she had a natural talent for Muay Thai, he convinced the gym owner, David Nolan, to let Emma join the classes for free and train her as a fighter representing the gym.

Speaking of Killian, he walked up to Emma as she was deep in thought, and smiled as he recognised that her familiar pre-match-game-face was on as she stared solemnly into the distance. Killian smiled at Emma as he helped her with her hand wrap. He felt so proud of the blonde's achievements. The young twenty-four year old trained in Muay Thai with a black belt in Brazilian Jujitsu was Believe's first MMA fighter solely produced by the gym. The other fighters had represented other gyms prior to joining Believe. It was a testimony to Killian's skills as a trainer and Believe's support system every time Emma won, and it proved Killian right to have so much faith in her every time, even when she didn't win. With Emma's determination, everyone knew she would bounce back and win again the next time around.

Happy with the hand wrap, Killian patted both of Emma's knuckles indicating he was done.

"Thanks, Kill!" the blonde said to her coach.

"Nervous?" Killian asked.

Emma nodded her head yes. She wished that Lily could have come along to Miami to see her fight but alas, the gym could not afford to pay for Lily's flight to join them. In the changing room were a couple of the other trainers from the gym, David and some gym members who volunteered to be part of the team's crew. All of them had to pay for the trip.

The only way Emma could even participate in the championship was to raise funds. The gym members went around the neighbourhood and approached businesses to be sponsors for Emma. Not many agreed but the ones that did were mostly small businesses who were touched by Emma's story and knew how the gym had helped keep the youths off the streets. In turn, their logos were printed on Emma's fight attire. There was barely enough room on her white trunks to fit the strange logos of Mom & Pop shops and the like.

Emma's fight kit was made up of her personal white sports bra and the sponsored trunks. David Nolan had gifted her a white silk hooded robe for the match which had the Believe logo embroidered on the back along with her fighter name. Emma was very touched by this gesture. David had been kind of a father figure to her, so she hoped to make him proud by winning the match.

Her fighter name 'The Saviour' was coined by Lily. She explained that Emma had saved her life. She had also inspired so many other youths in their neighbourhood to have hope that things could be better for them. A significant number of youth drug addicts had managed to drop the addiction through all the help she gave during her volunteering at the outreach programme.

"Want to practice on the pads?" Killian asked

"Nah. It's okay. Think I'll just do some shadow boxing to warm up." Emma stood up and got on the mat in the middle of the changing room. She bounced on her toes alternating from left foot to right foot practising some of her knockout combinations. She carried on punching and kicking in the air at the same time making sure to not tire herself out.

Emma took off her robe and did some stretches. She wanted to make sure that she won some fight bonus money to give back to the gym's youth programme. That was the only reason she agreed on such a high publicity fight.

The blonde was in the middle of her stretches when she heard the announcement that the event had started. There were ten matches that night and Emma's fight with Regina was the final match of the night.

She could feel butterflies forming in her belly. Emma stood back up and practised more of the combos.

On the other side of the stadium, Emma's competition, Regina Mills, sat watching the match on the TV screen in the changing room that was slightly bigger to that of the blonde's. Being an undefeated champion that participated in all of Venus FC's high profile fights had warranted her some perks as her entourage was a lot bigger.

The brunette had been fighting since joining her High School's Girls Wrestling team. Cora Mills, Regina's mother, saw potential in Regina's interest in fighting and sent her only daughter to a prestigious Muay Thai training school in Thailand for four years.

She trained with a renowned Muay Thai Master Instructor and part of her training included at least a hundred roundhouse kicks to banana trees each day. Her training had been hell but it paid off, making her the strongest female MMA fighter in the United States.

Her beautiful looks and muscular physique had earned her many deals in Hollywood action movie cameos, sponsorship deals with sports gears and the occasional appearance on the cover of sports magazines. She had garnered celebrity status and had helped create a large following for female MMA athletes in a male-dominated sport.

Venus FC was very dependent on Regina's involvement in their brand to draw in crowds and when she was not scheduled to fight for the night, Regina would provide her inputs on how the fighters performed on sports channels covering the event.

However, not all of her publicity had been positive. The previous year, there had been rumours going around that Regina had used performance-enhancing drugs in her last match. The rumours had been disproved with several tests resulting in a negative result for doping but the accusations still persisted.

Regina had gone away from the spotlight as she chose to take a break from fighting. Which was why this fight was so unique. It came out of nowhere and it was a fight with a newcomer. Fans were happy to see Regina Mills back in the cage again however other fans were suspicious of her sudden change of heart.

In reality, the brunette had no say in the matter. Her manager, Robert Gold, had booked the fight at her mother's request. Cora had feared that if Regina was away from the spotlight for too long, she would lose relevance in the fighting world.

Regina only had a short chance at taking a break from training to travel to various countries and see the world. The brunette was sure that the only reason her mother had wanted Regina to fight so much was so that she could spend the prize money.

Nevertheless, Regina was curious as to who Emma Swan was and how she got to be part of this huge fight. The brunette was used to fighting women who were already well known in the MMA world.

Regina only had one chance to meet Emma face to face and that was during the weigh in. She remembered staring into green eyes while posing for publicity pictures. Those eyes looked like they had suffered through a lot which made Regina intrigued to learn more about her.

"Regina! You'll be up in a couple of hours. Go do some pad work!" Mr Gold instructed his best fighter.

Regina stripped out of her black robe revealing a tight black T-shirt and red MMA trunks. Her attire did not have many sponsor logos and the biggest in sports products rush to have their logo worn by the great fighter. On the front of her T-shirt was a printed logo of 'Dragon Claws' which was the gym she was representing.

Dragon Claws was a well-known gym which trained the best fighters around the world. Regina had been training with them for over ten years. Her talent was spotted when she was undergoing training in Thailand. Regina suspected that her mother had arranged the whole thing because Dragon Claws only scout within the US.

The brunette stood in front of her trainer, Graham Humbert and practised her knockout moves. Regina liked sparring with Graham. He was able to match up to her speed and he always made sure to challenge her agility.

Out of the corner of her eye, she could see her mother and Mr Gold talking. It was never a good sign to see those two having secret conversations. Regina could sense that they were scheming something big.

The brunette turned her focus back to her training and delivered a strong left hook that almost sent Graham flying.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Wow! I wasn't expecting that this story would have so many followers so fast and with only one chapter uploaded. I'm sorry this took a while to come out. I hope you enjoy this chapter. The next update will be coming soon.**

* * *

Emma was feeling very nervous. She had never seen an arena of such a massive scale. She stood at the entrance to the arena which was a short distance from the changing room. She could see the thousands of spectators and almost felt like throwing up.

Killian could see the blonde turning pale. He stood in front of Emma and placed both hands on her shoulders, making sure that she was only looking at him.

"Remember our training. Focus on finding an opening. Your elbows and knees are your strongest moves so use them to your advantage," He advised firmly.

Emma nodded her understanding. She could hear the announcer announcing the match.

"Fight number ten, sponsored by Reebok…" the announcer in the middle of the cage started his announcement through the stadium sound system. "Red Corner… Regina 'The Queen' Mills!" He continued.

The entire stadium burst into cheers as Regina entered the arena, accompanied by her entourage. She reached her side of the cage and shed off her robe. She took off the towel around her neck and slipped off the shoes from her feet. Robert Gold stood in front of her.

"Regina, aim for a knockout. No submissions!" He said with a sinister smile.

This was his usual advice to her. The bloodier the match, the better according to Gold, however, this time Regina suspected that there was something else going on as well. She could tell from his eyes that he was scheming something but she couldn't quite place a finger on it.

Despite her suspicions, Regina pushed the thought from her mind and readied herself for the match. She had no time to be concerned as the announcer was about to announce Emma Swan's name. Gold inserted a mouth guard into her mouth.

"In the blue corner… Emma 'The Saviour' Swan!" the announcer shouted into the microphone as the spectators cheered both fighters.

Emma walked to her side of the cage with Killian, David and a few other trainers in tow. She took off her white robe and slippers.

The medic applied petroleum jelly onto her face to prevent Emma from getting cuts during the fight. This was standard practice inherited from boxing as it was a method to prevent fights from being stopped due to excessive bleeding or blood entering the eye.

The referee inspected that the amount of Vaseline applied to her face was acceptable. Regina already had Vaseline applied to her face by the time Emma entered the stadium arena.

Killian inserted a mouth guard into Emma's mouth and hugged her. "Good luck, Swan," He whispered in her ear.

Both Emma and Regina entered the cage through the doors on their respective sides. The announcer continued with his announcement.

"This featured fight is in the Women's Flyweight Division sponsored by Reebok." The announcer read from his clipboard. "Introducing the first fighter in the red corner, standing at 5-feet-4-inches tall and weighing in at 127 pounds, she is undefeated in the cage with a record of 8 wins to her credit. She is the current reigning and defending champion of Venus Flyweight Champion. Fighting out of the Dragon Claws Gym, all the way from Brooklyn, New York, Regina… "The Queen"... Mills!" He announced.

The entire stadium cheered and whistled. Regina was a crowd favourite and this was the loudest cheer the stadium had received all night. Some of the spectators could be heard chanting her name.

The brunette blew a kiss and winked at the camera that was filming her. The match was broadcasting live on Fox Sports cable channel.

"And her opponent…" the announcer continued, "the fighter in the blue corner, standing at 5-feet-5-inches tall and weighing in at 125 pounds, she has 2 wins and 1 loss in the cage, fighting out of Believe MMA Gym, from San Francisco, California, Emma… 'The Savior'... Swan!" the announcer completed his announcement and cleared out of the cage.

The crowd cheered but not as loud as before. The cameraman took a quick shot of Emma who was trying hard to not look awkward on camera. He quickly cleared out of the cage together with the other cameraman and announcer.

The referee entered the cage and stood in the middle of the octagon. The door to the cage closed. The referee, a tall muscular man, asked both women if they were ready. Both Emma and Regina indicated they were ready by standing on guard position.

"Fight!" the referee bellowed, starting the fight and moving away from between the fighters as quickly as possible.

Both women moved in about an arm's length away from one another. They circled each other, sizing the other up while waiting for a chance to make a move.

Regina took the first jab and Emma jumped back, dodging the blow. The brunette kept eye contact, fists protecting her face.

The blonde was intimidated by the woman in front of her. The undefeated Queen of the Cage could easily beat her to a pulp. She shook the thought out of her head.

Suddenly, she felt a blow to her left calf and lost her balance. Regina had kicked her leg and caused her to fall forward.

The brunette used her wrestling background and got on the blonde's back with her right knee between Emma's leg. She pinned the blonde's left leg with her right shin while simultaneously pulling Emma's right leg back and hugged it close to her body. She choked the blonde with her left arm.

Emma could feel the pressure tightening around her neck constricting her arteries. Before she felt her fear got the better of her, the blonde rolled on her back, using the force of her whole body and successfully broke free. She pushed Regina off and found herself on top of the brunette. Emma wrapped her legs around both of Regina's legs and pinned the brunette's chest down with her right arm. The blonde desperately tried to grab hold of Regina's right wrist but before she could, her opponent punched Emma in the face three times. The third punch managed to break Emma's nose.

The blonde fell backwards at the excruciating pain. She brought both of her gloved fists to her face to protect it. Regina straddled Emma's waist and tried to punch Emma again. The blonde kept one fist protecting her face and used the other to swing wildly at her opponent which successfully made contact to Regina's eye.

The brunette was knocked back slightly by the impact. Emma took the chance to deliver a few jabs and uppercuts, which forced Regina back, allowing Emma to get back on her feet and on guard. She could have delivered a few more strikes but was quickly running low on stamina.

Regina quickly stood up as well. The crowd cheered loudly. They were concerned that their favourite fighter was suddenly losing the fight. The fact that she was still standing despite the brutal beating was admirable but then again it was the undefeated Queen of the Cage. She would not be so easily beaten.

At this point, blood was flowing down both fighter's faces. They still had two minutes left in the round. The referee asked both women if they were okay to carry on. Both fighters fueled by adrenaline nodded yes.

The two women circled each other in the cage. Emma swung her leg and kicked Regina in the ribs.

The brunette responded by coming in closer and jabbed Emma in the abdomen and kneeing her in the face.

The blonde blacked out for a second but shook herself awake. She managed to stop the second knee to the face by grabbing hold of Regina's leg. She hugged the brunette's leg and moved backwards causing Regina to fall on her back.

Emma dove forward to pin the brunette into submission but the brunette kicked her in the abdomen, pushing her away. Emma did her best to stay standing. The round was not over yet and the blonde was determined to keep the fight going for as long as possible. She knew that there was no way of winning this fight with a knockout or submission. She needed to get the judges to decide on a win based on techniques. Despite the pain and the overwhelming strain on her muscles, the blonde told herself that she needs to concentrate now on delivering good hits and made sure to block as many of Regina's attacks as possible.

The brunette rose to her feet again. She was impressed that her opponent, despite being an unknown out-sider of San Francisco, had a similar level of skills as her.

Regina could see her coach outside of the cage, standing behind Emma signaling Regina to deliver her deadliest moves.

The brunette did not want the fight to end so soon but if Emma was as good as the brunette thought she was, she would be able to survive her moves.

Regina, with a new fire alight in her eye, watched for an opportunity to execute her moves. She jabbed her left fist which the blonde dodged easily. The brunette performed a perfect roundhouse kick to Emma's head but was surprised that it did not make contact as the blonde managed to dodge the kick.

In the split second of Regina realising that she had missed, she knew she was going down as when a roundhouse kick is executed without hitting anything, the fighter ends up facing away from the opponent. Regina's back was now facing Emma, which meant that Regina was completely exposed and if Emma was as good a fighter as Regina had recognised her to be, Emma knew that as well.

Sure enough, the blonde gave a low kick to Regina's right leg before Regina could rectify the situation, knocking her down so hard that Regina hit the canvas causing her mouth guard to fall out.

The referee called time and stopped the fight to retrieve the protective equipment. The two women relaxed while waiting for the referee to rinse out the mouthpiece and put it back in Regina's mouth. The brunette took a quick look over at Gold. She could tell that her coach was furious. The referee stood between the two fighters who were at the starting position and resumed the fight only thirty seconds left on the clock.

The brunette grabbed Emma around the waist and rammed her against the cage wall. The blonde tried to break free from the grasp.

Seconds later, the bell signaling the end of the first round rang. The referee broke the two fighters and they went to their respective corners.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: The next update may take a while.**

* * *

"What the hell was that?" Robert Gold asked through gritted teeth when he reached Regina's corner.

The brunette gargled water handed to her by one of the crew and spit it out into a bucket.

"She's good." She shrugged.

"Good enough to knock out your custom fit mouthpiece?" the manager asked in disbelieve.

Regina winced as Gold pressed a bag of ice against her wound forcefully. She took over holding the ice pack in place.

A medic came over to examine her wounds. He removed the ice pack and applied a coagulant on the wound to stop the bleeding. He then proceeded to reapply Vaseline to the rest of her face.

"You're lucky nobody noticed your weak attempt at taking a break." Gold whispered in her ear once the medic had moved away.

Regina gulped. She knew better than to piss off her manager. She knew she had to win this match or suffer the consequence of losing.

The brunette enjoyed mixed martial arts as a sport and did not mind if she won or lost. But she feared her manager. He didn't take too kindly to losers.

The only person from Dragon Claws who had lost by tapping out of the match was beaten to a pulp after hours at the gym. He was still in a coma from the beating a year after the event.

Robert Gold covered the incident by informing the media that he had an accident at the gym while training that caused him to be in a coma.

Regina doubted that her mother would stand by Gold if she lost but Cora's reaction to the unfortunate 'accident' sent a chill up her spine.

 _"If he is unable to handle the training, he should have never joined the gym,"_ Regina recalled Cora's exact words.

The brunette took a deep breath and inserted her mouth guard into her mouth. She had no choice but to win the match or suffer the same fate as the other fighter.

The bell indicating the start of the next round rang. Everybody cleared the Octagon except for the referee and the two fighters.

Emma and Regina met in the middle and the referee commenced the fight.

The brunette charged forward, grappling the blonde to the ground in a takedown causing the spectators to cheer loudly for the brunette.

The two women wrestled aiming to put the other into submission.

*.*.*.*.*

Emma struggled to catch her breath. She had spent the last twelve minutes punching, kicking, wrestling, and dodging her opponent.

They were now about to enter that last round of the fight. If she was able to remain standing for the next three minutes, the win would be up to the judges.

Regina was the toughest opponent she had ever faced. She couldn't believe that she was able to last this long. The blonde could see the fire in the brunette's chocolate orbs.

The look should have scared her off but Emma found Regina very attractive. She had never met somebody as beautiful as the brunette. Even with a swollen eye and torn lip, Regina Mills was undeniably hot.

"Emma? Are you listening?" Killian waved a hand in front of the blonde.

Emma snapped out of her thoughts.

"Sorry… What were you saying?" She asked.

"You seem a little off… Do you have a concussion? Shall I ask the medic to check?" Her coach was concerned.

"I'm fine, Kill. Really." Emma assured Killian.

The coach held out three fingers in front of her.

"How many fingers do you see?"

"Three. See? I'm perfectly fine." The blonde smiled.

"We don't have much time. You're doing well so far. Only throw in punches when you see a chance to do so. Stay on your feet. Don't let her wrestle you to the ground." Killian advised.

Emma nodded her head in understanding, trying her best to not push off the medic that was attending to her wounds. She felt uncomfortable by the amount of coagulant placed up her nostrils to prevent blood from flowing out.

The previous round's punches to the face had dislodged the coagulant from her nose causing blood to flow down her chin. Her white sports bra was now crimson covered by both her blood as well as Regina's.

With her face cleaned up and Vaseline reapplied, Emma was ready to end the match with all the strength she had left.

The bell rang.

The people in the cage cleared out once more for the start of the last round. Both fighters stood in the centre of the octagon with the referee in the middle.

"Fight!" the referee shouted.

The crowd cheered their favourite fighters. Both Emma and Regina's names could be heard being chanted by their respective fans.

The two women sized the other up, waiting for the chance to make the first move.

Emma kicked Regina in the ribs. The brunette retaliated with a left hook to the blonde's already bruised cheek.

Both women seemed to be unaffected by the hits they had taken. Driven by adrenaline, they carried on, looking for another chance to make their next move.

*.*.*.*.*

There was thirty seconds left on the clock. The two fighters are low on stamina. They had dodged punches and kicks. Attempts at grappling had been unsuccessful. The spectators were getting restless.

Emma dodged another punch to her face and elbowed Regina in the forehead. The brunette stumbled as she blacked out for a second. She recovered quickly enough to jump back, missing a kick the blonde delivered.

Regina bounced on her toes, shaking herself awake. A sudden rush of adrenaline built as she felt anger from the shot Emma took.

The brunette punched the blonde in the abdomen, gave a right hook to the jaw and a knee to the chin.

Emma stumbled backwards. Regina sat on her chest and threw punches left and right. The blonde tried her best to block the punches.

The spectators rose to their feet to get a good look at the action unfolding before them.

The blonde made some attempts to push the brunette back.

The bell rang ending the match. The referee separated the fighters.

Regina jumped to her feet to celebrate. She turned around and helped Emma to her feet. She took out her mouth guard.

"Are you okay?" the brunette asked as the blonde steadied herself.

"Yes," Emma said weakly.

Regina hugged the blonde.

"You're really good." The brunette complimented.

Emma could feel her cheeks turn red. She savoured the hug almost forgetting that the woman hugging her was responsible for all the bruises and cuts on her face and body.

The cage doors opened and both Emma and Regina's entourage entered and pulled their fighters into group hugs separating the two women from their embrace.

The 'Dragon Claws' crew cheered loudly as they were certain Regina had won the match. If the bell had not rung, she would have knocked Emma out for sure.

Killian, David Nolan and some of the other crews from 'Believe' hugged Emma tightly. Each one of them praising the blonde's performance.

They knew before the championship that Emma's chances for winning were slim but she got through the whole match with impressive moves and techniques and that was more than what they had expected.

Both women cleaned up quickly by their entourage and put their robes on, proudly displaying their gyms' names.

The referee re-entered the cage. The two fighters went over to the referee for the verdict. Everybody already knew who had won. This was more of a formality.

He held on to both women by their gloved wrists. Emma stood to his left and Regina to his right. The whole stadium went silent as they waited for the results to be announced.

The announcer stood behind the referee and the fighters as he announced the results. "Ladies and gentlemen, after five rounds, we go to the judges' scorecards for a decision. Archie Hopper scores it forty-seven, forty-seven. August Booth scores it forty-eight, forty-eight and Will Scarlett score the contest forty-seven, forty-eight and the winner, by split decision, the NEW CHAMPION FOR THE WOMEN'S FLYWEIGHT DIVISION QUEEN OF THE CAGE TITLE, EMMA 'THE SAVIOUR' SWAN!" the announcer shouted into the microphone as the crowd went wild at the surprise win.

The referee raised Emma's arm up. Both women were shocked by the results. The entire stadium cheered and booed as they heard the results of the match.

One of the crew tied the title belt around the blonde's waist. The entourage from 'Believe' rushed over to Emma's side in pure happiness. Killian lifted the blonde onto his shoulders.

It finally dawned on Emma that she had won an impossible fight. She punched her fist in the air and joined in the cheer.

Nobody from Dragon Claw's entourage came to Regina to comfort her or reassure her. She glanced at Gold expecting anger from the man but he looked stoic. The brunette wondered if that was a good or bad sign. Her manager was hard to read. She tried her best to suppress the fear of the unknown.


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Sorry this took a while. My schedule has been really busy with work and night classes. Enjoy!**

* * *

Emma felt like she needed to check up on Regina to see if she was okay since up until the verdict, they were sure that the brunette had won.

Just as Emma was brought down from her coach's shoulders, she headed in the direction of Regina. A camera suddenly appeared in her face and the media crew interviewed her.

Everything was happening so fast. Before she knew it, everybody had cleared out of the arena.

Emma was back in the changing room with her entourage. A doctor was examining her injuries. She had her nose corrected which hurt like hell. None of her cuts were deep enough that required stitches. She had not sustained any internal injuries and was not required to go to the hospital.

The whole ordeal had been surreal. She felt that even though she won, she did not deserve the title. She felt that the judges had made a poor judgement on the match.

Emma excused herself to go see Regina in her changing room. She wasn't sure of the protocol on visiting other fighters in such a huge indoor stadium. The fights she had participated in before were at small venues and had one large changing room for all of the fighters.

Regina Mills was somewhat of a celebrity. There were security guards stationed outside of her changing room. There were a lot of media people trying to catch a glimpse of the brunette and interview her for their news articles.

It seemed unwise to walk into a herd of reporters. None of which noticed the blonde's presence.

Emma returned to her changing room. She found that everyone had packed and were about ready to return to the hotel. David had offered to treat everybody to drinks at the hotel bar.

*.*.*.*.*

Regina's changing room was eerily quiet except for the crowd of reporters outside who were waiting to interview the brunette.

None of the members of 'Dragon Claws' said a single word to the brunette. It was Regina's first loss and nobody knew how to react.

Regina sat in silence as a doctor examined her injuries. The cut on her upper lip had split her lip completely and the one on her eye wasn't too deep but still needed stitches. The doctor informed the brunette that she would need stitches and since she did not sustain any serious injuries, there wasn't any need for her to go to the hospital to get the stitches done.

The brunette allowed the doctor to stitch up her wounds in the changing room. As the doctor did so, Regina kept her eyes on Robert Gold and her mother. They seemed to be smiling a lot despite her unexpected loss.

She suspected the verdict had something to do with them somehow and she intended to get to the bottom of it.

*.*.*.*.*

Even though David Nolan left an open tab at the hotel bar for the celebrations, Emma did not stay for long. The aches from her match made it a little difficult for her to enjoy the company. All she wanted to do was lie down on her hotel room bed.

After a couple of rounds of beer, the blonde excused herself to retire to her room. Only Emma, Killian and David had rooms in the four-star hotel. The rest of the 'Believe' entourage opted to stay at a motel not too far from there.

Venus FC had booked out rooms for the fighters and their representatives. Each gym had the option of two separate rooms or a whole suite. The team from 'Believe' opted for adjoining rooms. Since Emma had three other roommates, they wanted their young fighter to have some privacy to herself at least for the week that they were in Miami.

The blonde stood in front of the lift in the lobby. The doors of the lift were mirrored. She hadn't had the chance to take a good look at the damage on her face.

She could see dark purplish bruising surrounding her bandaged nose. She gently touched the swollen parts on her face.

 _Ding!_ The doors of the elevator started to open. Emma quickly threw her hands down from touching her face. She gasped when she saw who was in the elevator.

"Hi!" Regina said when she saw the blonde on the other side of the lift door.

"Hi," Emma said shyly.

The two women stood in their spots awkwardly, unsure of what to do. The elevator door began to close. Emma stuck her hand forward to prevent it from closing. When the door reopened, she retracted her hand and stayed still.

"Going back to your room?" the brunette said after coming to her senses.

"Right! Yes! I am." Emma said finally. "And you?"

"I need to not be anywhere near my manager," Regina answered honestly.

The blonde wanted to say so much more but she found herself tongue-tied.

 _Invite her to your room!_ Said a little voice in Emma's head.

"Is it okay if we hung out in your room?" the brunette asked.

Emma grinned.

"Yes!" she answered a little too eagerly.

The doors started closing again and Regina held the door open this time.

The blonde entered the lift and tapped her key card to unlock the buttons to the rooms. She then pressed twenty-one on the elevator buttons.

The lift doors closed. Both women stood silently.

"Congratulations on your win!" the brunette said, breaking the silence.

"Thanks but I thought that you should have won," Emma said honestly.

"It was up to the judges and anyway, you were actually really good." Regina complimented.

The elevator doors opened. Emma led the brunette to her room.

Regina was relieved the blonde was not staying on the same floor as her.

'Dragon Claws' entourage took over the whole of the twenty-seventh floor including the suite Regina was staying in.

Emma unlocked the door to her room and turned the handle. She held the door open for her guest to enter. She was thankful that she hadn't left the room in a complete mess.

The brunette looked around the room. It was a simple set up. There was a small office chair at the table. She opted to sit on the edge of the bed instead.

Emma closed the door and joined Regina in the room.

"Would you like something to drink?" the blonde offered.

Even though the prices of the drinks in the mini bar was ridiculous, Emma had wanted to be hospitable to her company.

"Some tea would be fine," Regina said.

The blonde was relieved that the brunette had asked for tea which was free of charge.

Emma only had a few dollars for spending on her trip to Miami. She was embarrassed to take the money David Nolan offered to give her for her personal expenses. He had already done so much for her. She and Lily had pooled together some savings for Emma to spend. It was definitely not enough to splurge on a hotel mini-bar raid.

The blonde took the kettle and filled it with water from a bottle of mineral water.

"Have you been doing MMA for long?" Regina asked when Emma was done setting up the kettle to boil the water.

"I'm still quite new to the championship scene. My first real MMA cage was only two years ago." Emma answered.

"Wow! And now you are a flyweight champion."

The blonde shifted on her feet uncomfortably. The brunette noticed Emma looking uneasy.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable." Regina said as she got up and walked towards the blonde. "I don't mind the results, really."

Emma looked at the older woman curiously.

"Don't get me wrong. I got my fight name from winning so many "Queen of the Cage' matches and now after losing today's match, I may need to change my name." the brunette joked as she moved even closer to the blonde. "But now when I really look at it, it's humbling to lose to someone as good as or even better than me. It motivates me to work even harder." By now Regina was just a breath away from Emma's lips.

The blonde moved backwards to create some distance between them and in the process, she accidentally touched the hot kettle.

"Shit!" Emma examined her hand.

"Did you burn your hand?" the brunette grabbed the blonde's hand and kissed it gently.

Emma could feel the rough stitches of the brunette's lips tickle her fingers.

The two women looked into each other's eyes and could see the desire reflecting back.

Regina lightly traced the bruise on Emma's jaw.

The blonde felt a shooting pain that borders on pleasure but she was getting too uncomfortable to let the moment linger any further. She turned her body around and proceeded to turn off the kettle as it had come to a boil. Emma poured the hot water into two teacups.

Regina frowned at the rejection. She took a step back and returned to the same spot she was in earlier on the bed.

The brunette saw a partially packed duffle bag near the closet.

"Are you leaving Miami tomorrow?" she asked the blonde.

"No. My coach suggested that I will need to recover from my injuries for at least a week before heading back to San Francisco. Sugar?"

"Two please," Regina replied. "That makes sense. I have tomorrow to rest before a few days of interviews all over Miami." She sighed. Exhausted at the thought of her busy schedule.

"They are not letting you rest from your injuries?" Emma asked as she handed a cup of tea to the brunette.

"Thanks. My manager is a slave driver. I wasn't even intending on going back to the cage so soon. He pulled me out of a hiatus for this match." Regina said as she absentmindedly stirred her tea.

"If you want a break from him, you can join me at the beach tomorrow. I was thinking of taking a stroll since it's just down the road." Emma suggested.

Venus FC had booked Storybrooke Hotel in South Beach for the fighters, their teams and organizers. It is a fifteen-minute drive to the American Airline Arena where the championship took place.

Some of the fighters took advantage of the proximity to the beach to do their morning workouts. However, neither Emma nor Regina had had the chance to go down to the beach as the organisers advised them to not be out in public before the fight without their security team as they did not want any fans to interfere in the fight in any way or form.

"I'd love that." Regina smiled at the blonde and took a sip of her tea.


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: There was an error in the story. I have edited it.**

* * *

Regina lost track of time hanging out with Emma. She sneaked back to her suite hoping that her manager was not waiting on her. The brunette tapped her room key card on the lock. It beeped and the door unlocked. Regina stuck her head in to see if anybody was in the common room.

She breathed a sigh of relief when she saw that the coast was clear. She took off her heels and snuck to her private room.

"Where the hell have you been?" an all too familiar voice said.

Regina froze in place, heart beating fast. She straightened her body and turned to face Mr Gold.

"I was hanging out with some of the fighters" she lied.

Her manager did not say anything in response. The brunette turned back in the direction of her room and started walking to her room.

"The next time you leave the room, be sure to inform me of your whereabouts." Mr Gold said in a menacing voice.

Regina stopped in her tracks again as she shivered with fear.

"Yes, Mr Gold." She answered and quickly ran off to her room.

She shut the door behind her and took deep breathes to calm herself.

The brunette wished that she could get a new manager but she still had five more years on her contract. She kicked herself for signing the contract with Dragon Claws so quickly without reading the fine prints.

She was foolish and naïve back then. Her mother even encouraged her despite not getting a good deal out of the apartment.

The only way to get out was to have a lawsuit against Dragon Claws and despite the verbal and psychological abuse, Regina does not have enough support to back her up. Everybody at Dragon Claws was scared of Mr Robert Gold and nobody dared to speak up against the abuse of the members and staff.

Regina focused on the plan she had made with Emma to spend a whole day at South Beach.

The thought of Emma put a smile on her face. If it wasn't for their injuries, Regina could have been spending the night in the blonde's room instead.

The brunette suddenly felt an arousal building between her legs.

She locked the doors and proceeded to strip out of her clothing revealing bruises on her ribs and limbs.

Regina got under her covers and started touching herself. Her sex slick with her arousal. She rubbed her engorged clitoris hard as she pictured how it would be like fucking Emma Swan.

She bit her bottom lip stifling a moan as she was close to climax. She didn't have to imagine how Emma would feel under her as just hours ago, the two women had their bodies tangled together when they wrestled in the cage.

Regina had fought many women and none of them managed to turn her on the way the blonde had.

Regina turned and buried her face into her pillows as she finally reached the peak of her climax. She removed her fingers from pleasuring herself as her body slowly calmed itself from her orgasm.

It had been a while since she last had sex with someone and given her busy schedule that was almost impossible. She often found herself in similar situations where she ended her day with the help of her fingers. Imagining her crush was a welcome change.

The brunette drifted off to sleep. She slept very well that night.

*.*.*.*.*

Emma Swan could not believe that the Queen of MMA was in her room. _Lily would be so freaked when I tell her about this._ The blonde thought to herself.

Her pillows still smelt like Regina. Her scent was fruity like apples. Emma brought the pillow the brunette rested her back on to her nose and inhaled deeply. The smell was intoxicating.

The two women talked about their training journey. Regina shared about the time she trained in Thailand inspiring Emma to take a trip there someday to train with the masters. The brunette offered to come along with her and show her around if the blonde wanted. Emma promised to ask Regina along.

Emma shared how Believe helped change her life for the better. The brunette praised the blonde for succeeding in turning her life around and called her a hero. Emma blushed at that.

Occasionally, their fingers would accidentally brush against the others'. Emma would be lying if she said it didn't affect her at all. Part of her wanted Regina's body pressed against hers. She wanted to explore the brunette's body. But for some reason, she was too shy to make a move.

 _It was for the best._ Emma convinced herself. They were both fresh from the fight. Their bruises were starting to show. They wouldn't be able to enjoy each other's' touch if they were going to constantly flinch every time it hurts.

Emma was glad she invited Regina to the beach the next day. The two women lived at different ends of the country. After Miami, the blonde didn't even know when she'll see the brunette again.

The young fighter laid on her side, cuddling the Regina scented pillow and went to sleep. She will need all the energy if she was going to spend the whole day with Regina Mills.

*.*.*.*.*

It wasn't surprising that both Emma and Regina were wearing long-sleeved t-shirts and jeans despite the blistering Miami heat. They were very self-conscious of the huge purplish patches they both had on their respective bodies.

Mr Gold had insisted that Regina be accompanied by bodyguards as fans may still be hanging around to try and catch a glimpse of the celebrity fighter.

The brunette was annoyed by her manager's insistence but she was glad he did because there seemed to be fans hanging around outside the hotel.

Venus FC had kept their accommodations quiet but it did not stop the information from being leaked out. Maybe the fans had guessed based on the proximity to the stadium or maybe they were just lucky.

Their plan to walk down to the beach changed as the bodyguards suggested throwing the fans off by taking the hotel van around the block before stopping at a less crowded part of the beach.

"I'm sorry my fans ruined your plans." Regina apologised.

"I don't mind. As long as I get to spend the day with you." Emma said.

"Are you flirting with me, Ms Swan?" the brunette teased.

The blonde could feel her face blushing blood red. Regina held Emma's hand the rest of the ride to the beach.

They finally made it to the beach. The ladies were relieved that there wasn't anyone that recognised who they were.

Regina took off her flip-flops and folded her jeans above her ankles. Emma got the cue and did the same. Her big shades slipping down her nose as she looked down to kick off her slip-on shoes.

The blonde was thankful she brought those sunglasses as they helped cover the swelling around her broken nose.

Emma looked up and found the brunette halfway towards the water. The blonde ran after her new found friend who greeted her by splashing water in her direction.

"I'm gonna get you for that!" Emma threatened.

Regina gave one last splash before running away from the blonde along the shallow water.

Emma gave chase and tackled Regina into the water causing her shades to fall off her face. A huge wave crashed onto them both, soaking their clothes entirely. Emma's long blonde mane plastered onto the brunette's face.

Regina swiped the hair off her face and looked deep into Emma's beautiful green eyes.

"You have no idea how much I want to kiss you right now." The brunette confessed.

"I feel the same," Emma replied.

Another wave crashed onto them. Some of the water got into Regina's mouth. She coughed the water out. Emma quickly got up and helped the brunette up.

"Are you okay?" the blonde asked.

"Yeah." The brunette coughed again.

"Maybe we can just sit on the sand for a while," Emma suggested.

"Good idea."

The two women spent the day watching the waves, trying out a Cuban restaurant on Ocean Drive, holding hands while walking down South Pointe Park Pier. The security guards were able to keep any crowds away from them despite not being their personal bodyguards. Venus FC really made sure that the fighters were protected during their stay in Miami.

Emma and Regina had a lot of fun just hanging out. They held hands and hugged ignoring the fact that everywhere they went, the two security guards followed.

"Can we hang out again before you leave?" The blonde asked.

"I'm afraid my schedule is too packed," Regina said apologetically.

The brunette could feel the sadness from Emma. The day was quickly coming to an end and Mr Gold had called for a meeting cum dinner to go through her upcoming interviews in the next few days since she lost the match cutting their hangout short.

"I'll call you during my break," Regina promised.

The two women kissed softly. The sharp pain from their respective injuries ended their kiss.

"Ow!" they both exclaimed.

Emma cupped her nose while Regina nursed her lips. They both broke out in laughter as they headed back to their hotel.


	6. Chapter 6

Regina returned to her suite. The room felt tense, a lot more tense than usual. She wondered if it was due to the fact that she was having so much fun earlier and it felt a lot tenser due to the contrast in the company.

"Take a seat, Regina." Mr Gold ordered.

It was definitely more tense than usual. The brunette concluded.

Regina sat next to her mother who was sitting opposite her and already started on their dinner. The brunette looked at her meal, it was a Cuban shredded beef steak in a tomato based sauce and white rice, Ropa Vieja con Arroz Blanco. She had that dish the last time she was in Miami when her father was still alive.

Her father, Henry, was Cuban. He came to America on a boat with his parents when he was young. He lived in Miami before going to college in New York where he met Cora.

Henry had brought Regina to Miami when she was in high school. The young girl did not know at that time that her father was battling cancer and wanted to see Miami one last time before he died.

Cora never really let Regina grieve for her father. She pushed the young girl to succeed telling her that the best way to honour her father was to be a success.

Her mother changed after meeting Mr Gold. She changed her name back to her maiden name and changed Regina's name from Regina Zambrano to Regina Mills.

All of Regina's Cuban background was hidden from the world. Which was why the meal selected for her was strange. The warning bells sounded in her head. She decided to go along but be on her guard.

"Dinner looks good." The young brunette picked up a piece of shredded beef and took a bite.

It was just how she remembered it. She played it cool in case this was a bribe of some kind.

"What time is the first interview tomorrow?" she asked.

"That's why I called for this meeting. There won't be any interviews." Mr Gold said.

"What?! Why?" Regina placed her utensils down.

"While you were out on the beach being romantic with Emma Swan, somebody recorded it on video and posted it online."

 _Shit!_

'It appears that the fans have come to the conclusion that the match was fixed and that you had bribed the judges to let Emma win so that it looked like you were no longer doping and that you can split the winnings with your girlfriend." Her manager explained.

"What?! That is ridiculous!"

"Read for yourself." Mr Gold handed Regina a tablet.

She pressed the play button. The video showed the two women holding hands, hugging, playing and ended with a kiss. Regina did her best to not swoon at how cute they looked. She scrolled down. The title of the video was 'Venus FC – Regina Mills and Emma Swan lovers?' she went on to read the description:

 _Regina Mills and Emma Swan are actually lovers. This means that the match was fixed. We all know that Regina should have won the match but the judges ruled Emma the winner._

 _This could be Regina trying to appear like she is not taking performance-enhancing drugs. Her strength is unnatural._

 _Regina could also be pushing for her girlfriend to be famous by winning the match._

 _How could Venus FC allow the couple to fight each other? So much controversy!_

Regina scrolled through the comments. Most of them accused her of bribing the judges and that both Emma and Regina were doping.

There were some comments that said that the couple looked cute and in love. A few came to her defence.

"I think you should lay low. That is why I cancelled all of your interviews." Her manager said.

"Why? Shouldn't I clarify the rumour?" Regina questioned.

"Listen to Gold, dear. He knows best." Cora chimed in.

"But doesn't hiding make me look guilty?"

"These people wouldn't believe you anyway. Venus FC will carry out an investigation. Things will get sorted out in no time. Until then, you are not to see Emma Swan, do you understand."

"Yes, Mr. Gold." Regina sulked.

"Eat up, dear," Cora said.

"After dinner, pack your bags. I've changed our flights back to New York to tomorrow morning seeing as there is no reason to stay in this city anymore." The manager said.

The young brunette was too upset to finish her favourite Cuban dish. She played with bits of white rice, moving them around on her plate.

*.*.*.*.*

"Regina!" Emma was surprised to find the brunette at her hotel door at 1 a.m. in the morning. "What are you doing here? I've not heard from you since we came back from the beach."

"I needed to see you!" Regina needed to see the blonde one last time before she leaves for New York.

Regina pulled Emma into a kiss. It hurt her lips but she didn't care. She needed to taste the blonde's lips again.

Emma welcomed the kiss. They moved into the room as the door closed behind Regina.

The blonde parted her lips giving the brunette access, tongues meeting in Emma's mouth. Regina's hands roamed under the blonde's tank top, she smiled when her fingers found two firm mounds. She squeezed them making Emma gasp.

The brunette pulled from the kiss and undressed the blonde. Thankfully, Emma was only in her white tank top and panties.

Regina marvelled at the sight before her. Emma's body was lean and toned. The dim light in the room only emphasizing her muscles further.

The brunette ran her fingers around the bruise on Emma's side. She was glad her kicks and punches did not break the blonde's ribs but the bruising turned half of Emma's body purple. She leaned in and gently kissed the bruised ribs.

Emma shivered under the touch. The sensation bordered on pain and pleasure. She ran her fingers in Regina's dark locks.

The brunette peppered kisses down Emma's side to the middle of her hard abdomen. She pushed the blonde to the bed, sitting her down on the edge.

She parted Emma's legs and knelt down between them. She peppered more kisses on the blonde's knees, moving up her thigh.

Emma let out a moan in anticipation to what she knew Regina was about to do.

The brunette continued to tease, moving to kiss the blonde's other knee. Smiling as she could see Emma's growing need.

Regina finally relented, kissing the blonde's clit. The moan from Emma letting her know just how much the younger woman needed a release.

She lapped up the juices that were covering Emma's sex. The blonde tasted so delicious, Regina wanted more. She plunged her tongue, licking the walls of Emma's insides.

The younger woman had one hand keeping the brunette's shoulder-length hair from covering her face and another hand clutching the bedsheets, supporting her weight as she leaned back with pleasure. Her grip on the brunette's hair got tighter as she rose in ecstasy.

Regina needed to hold Emma steady as her hips kept bucking as she was getting close to climax. The brunette wrapped her arms around Emma's thighs, using her hand to hold the legs apart. She rested the blonde's legs on her shoulder as she continued sucking and licking Emma's bundle of nerves.

"Oh god! Regina!" Emma moaned. Her breathing shallow.

The brunette kept going. Licking and sucking faster and faster.

"Oh fuck!" Emma exclaimed as she came into Regina's mouth.

The older woman slowly licked at the juices before letting go of her hold on the blonde.

Emma fell back on the bed.

Regina got up and sat next to Emma on the bed. She ran her fingers through the blonde's long hair.

"No fair." Emma breathed when she recovered enough to speak.

"What?"

"You still have your clothes on." The blonde said as she tugged on Regina's T-shirt.

"Oh? And what are you going to do about it?" the brunette challenged.

Emma got up and proceeded to quickly strip the brunette of every item of clothing, wasting no time at all.

When Regina was finally free of her clothes, the blonde placed the brunette in a similar position she was in earlier and got between the older woman's legs.

She gave a devilish smile and said "Your turn!".


	7. Chapter 7

"What's wrong, baby?" Emma asked when she saw Regina sat up, the brunette's face in quiet contemplation.

The brunette sighed. She should have told the blonde before the lovemaking. She did not want this to be a one night stand.

Regina cupped Emma's face with her right hand.

"I don't want tonight to end." The brunette said.

Emma quirked an eyebrow. "You wanna go again?" she teased.

Regina's throaty chuckle may have been the sexiest sound the blonde had ever heard.

Concerned green eyes met dark brown orbs. The brunette gave a sad smile.

"I should have told you this earlier…"

At those words, Emma sat up. She had a feeling bad news was coming and she wouldn't be pleased with what the brunette was going to say.

"I'm going back to New York." Regina continued.

She felt relieved once the words left her lips.

"Is that what's been troubling you?" Emma asked as she moved herself closer to the brunette and looked her deep in the eyes. "Baby, I already knew you will be going back to New York."

"You do?"

"That's where you live, right?"

Regina realised she was not phrasing it right.

The brunette held both of Emma's hands. Tears started to form. Regina did not want to end the moment they shared so soon but she had to. Emma needed to know.

"I'm leaving for New York in the morning. My interviews had been cancelled."

Emma felt taken aback by the information.

"What? Why?"

Regina leaned her head on the blonde's shoulders and sighed.

"Someone recorded our…" _was it a date?_ The brunette wasn't sure what to call their time together at the beach. It was definitely more than just two friends hanging out and they _did_ just have sex.

Emma tried to read Regina's face that seemed to be struggling to find the right words. Somehow she knew the brunette was trying to talk about the day they spent together.

"Our… date?"

Regina beamed. Clearly, that was what it was. A date. Emma and Regina had their first date at the beach.

The brunette smiled at Emma. The blonde's kind green eyes was genuine and full of love. Regina wanted to always wake up to those eyes every single day.

"Yes. Someone recorded our date and the fans of Venus FC are saying that our match was rigged."

"Why would they come up with that conclusion from our date?" Emma was concerned. It was one thing to be a rumour it is another when it affected Regina so much.

"I don't know! It's crazy. Some of them are saying that it is a cover-up for my doping scandal." Regina realised she hadn't talked about the doping rumour to anybody outside of her team of representatives. "I've never cheated on any of my fights. I've always worked hard to get to where I am."

"I never believed those rumours about you. You are like the Selena Williams of MMA. You are so good and they could never accept the fact that a woman is capable of being this good at sports. "Emma said genuinely.

Regina pulled the blonde in for a kiss. She felt like she finally had somebody who believed her.

"But why are your interviews cancelled? Wouldn't it make you look like you had something to hide if you didn't say anything to defend yourself?" Emma asked.

"My manager didn't think so. He said that it would be better if we allowed Venus to carry out an investigation. Eventually, the truth will out and everything will go back to normal. Until then I will just carry on with my training in New York."

The thought of being so far away from the blonde made Regina depressed. She wanted to see where this new relationship would go but it seemed that it was over before it even began.

"I guess that makes sense. A lot of doping rumours ruined careers. It would be better if you lay low and stay out of the spotlight." Emma said. More to convince herself than agreeing with Mr Gold's strategy.

"I really want to see more of you." Regina kicked herself for sounding so needy. The thought left her head when Emma gave her a deep kiss.

"Come with me." The brunette said when their lips parted.

"What?"

"Come to New York with me. You can join my gym. They have really good trainers and I'm sure Gold is impressed by you."

"I'm sorry, Regina. I really would like to see more of you but I have to stay with Believe and help others who struggle in their life."

It hurt Emma to think she'd never see the beautiful woman in front of her again. She wished they had met earlier and in a totally different circumstance.

"I understand. I guess it's just wishful thinking." Regina paused for a moment before informing Emma that she should go back to her room and sleep. She had to check out of the hotel by 7 a.m. the next morning. They kissed one last time before the brunette put her clothes back on and left the room.

The moment Regina stepped into the hallway she cried.

*.*.*.*.*

The consequence of the rumour was bad. Emma's win at Venus FC was withdrawn pending the investigation.

David Nolan was getting calls from many News outlet trying to get the scoop from the source. Thankfully, he was smart enough to not give them the time of day. He was considering suing the people who started the rumours but he felt that his money would be best used to help the kids in his neighbourhood instead.

Just like Regina's team, Emma's representatives concluded that it would be best to return home.

Poor Emma did not get a chance to savour her win before it got taken away from her. A text message from Regina pulled her out of her funk waiting for her flight at the airport.

"I miss you!" the text read.

The blonde smiled to herself and hit 'reply'.

"I miss you too!"

*.*.*.*.*

When the Believe team returned to the gym, they were greeted with the members cheering and celebrating 'The Saviour' on her win.

Clearly, they did not believe the rumours as they know Emma and they knew that she was not involved with Regina Mills before the match.

Lily waited until she was alone with Emma in their apartment before she bombarded the blonde on waiting to know all the details about 'banging the Queen' as she called it.

Emma did not disclose much but she did say that she missed the brunette. It was then that her best friend realised that it wasn't just a notch on the blonde's bedpost.

A week had passed and still Lily noticed Emma looking sad and withdrawn. She had given her best friend space to deal with 'post-Miami' but she was starting to grow concerned that Emma wasn't going to get over this bout of depression soon.

Emma hadn't gone to the gym since she got back. Her nose was healing well and her contusions were less visible except for the big one on their ribs.

Lily figured that having the gym to themselves that night would help Emma process her emotions. It had always helped the blonde when she was feeling down. Fifteen minutes on the punching bag had always been enough for Emma to get out of her mood.

The blonde threw some punches and kicks on her favourite punching bag. It had some tapes on the parts where the synthetic leather had torn. The sides of the bags had been seasoned by thousands of kicks over the years. It had a slight indent which helped Emma with her aim.

Emma stood barefoot in front of the bag. Standing momentarily on the forefoot of her left leg, she swung her right leg and kicked the punching bag square on the side. She brought her right leg back swinging it again and kicking the bag on the same spot. She twisted her body perfectly. Each time she did a right kick, she swung her right hand back adding more force to her kick.

She used to do two hundred kicks on each leg every day to train her legs to give as much power as possible.

Killian had always been the one to hold the bag steady for Emma but that night, Lily played that role.

She could feel the force of each strike and the young brunette struggled to not fall back.

Lily was relieved when Emma moved to punching the bag. The blonde's punches were very powerful but they didn't scare the brunette as much as the kicks did.

"Thanks, Lil! I needed that." Emma said to Lily who was sitting in the centre of the locker room as the blonde towel dried her hair.

"No worries. I'm glad to see you smile again."

"I'm sorry again about your nose." The blonde was truly sorry. She had gone overboard with the punching when a single strike swung the bag back and hit Lily in the nose. That was when Emma called it a night. She was in the zone and forgot that Lily had not been her training partner since starting learning Muay Thai officially with Killian.

The next day, Emma was smiling again and had started going back to her training as usual.

A couple of months went by and the media had long moved past Venus FC scandal. The results of their investigation had yet to be released.

Unfortunately, the correspondence between Emma and Regina became less frequent and eventually, they stopped calling or texting each other.

Emma was checking her schedule for the training she would be conducting for the day when a familiar voice caught her attention.

"Hi, Emma!"

The blonde nearly dropped her students' training cards when she saw who it was.

 _Regina!_


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: Sorry it took so long to update. My schedule had been really hectic. I will pause anymore writing on Fighting Spirit for now. Will work on finishing my other story, 'Reset'. Will end that story before I continue working on this one as this story requires a lot of planning and research it takes longer to work on.**

 **Do remember to follow the story so that you can receive updates when I finally post up Chapter 9.**

* * *

It had been strange going back to New York after her first loss. It was as if Regina did not exist. She was told to continue her training despite the scandals of her last match but everybody at her gym avoided her like the plague and even Gold himself barely spoke to her. All except for Graham.

Other than being her trainer, Graham Humbert could be considered as Regina's best friend. Just like Regina, Graham was talent spotted and trained to be a fighter for Dragon Claws.

During Regina's first few months of training, she had partnered with another female fighter, Kathryn. But Kathryn had a hard time keeping up with Regina's speed and taking the blows the brunette delivered as Regina never really could control how hard she punched.

Gold decided that it would be best if she partnered Graham instead of Kathryn, much to the blonde's relief. Graham had a smaller frame and Regina could handle his strength. The two became inseparable ever since.

The fighters at Dragon Claws were closely monitored. They had to stay in a hostel above the gym. Their every movement, diet and activities were closely monitored. It was as if they were training to be Shaolin warriors in a monastery. The only difference is, they could go back home on the weekends but not Regina.

The brunette had been staying at the hostel since returning from Thailand. She learnt that Cora had lost their home funding Regina's career as a fighter. Joining Dragon's Claws required some hefty enrolment fee which Cora spent the last of her savings on. The elderly woman managed to add her own hostel room as part of Regina's contract.

Since Dragon Claws was funding both Regina and her mother's food and lodging, the brunette's contract was harsher and she was bonded for far longer than the other fighters.

Despite earning a lot of cash money from her fights, neither Regina nor Cora bought their own homes. They didn't see a point in purchasing a weekend home as they were obligated to stay throughout Regina's contract. The brunette kept the money she didn't spend on her vacations in case she needed to break her 5 million dollar contract.

It was a struggle for Regina to not have the freedom to go out and get in touch with her friends from high school. Most of which had left New York and pursued their careers in other states. She hated it at Dragon Claws. Graham helped make the years she spent there bearable.

The only times the brunette had some semblance of freedom was when she got to go out of town for fighting championships.

All fighters get a day off the day after the match to relax and recuperate. Most of the lower profiled fighters got a couple more days off as they did not need to do any post-match press interviews.

Regina rose to fame because she kept appearing at many matches and won each and every single one of them except for the most recent Venus FC fight with Emma Swan. The brunette made sure she was selected for every single fight available not because she loved fighting that much but because she wanted to get away from Dragon Claws' control over her life.

This, unfortunately, resulted in her being directly managed personally by the owner of Dragon Claws, Mr Robert Gold.

Graham too had Gold as his manager but stopped fighting in championships after busting his kneecap at an Ultimate Fighting Championship match. His opponent kicked his knee so hard that he dislocated it. Graham still won the match despite being in excruciating pain.

He quickly retaliated, grappling the opponent to the ground, pinning him down, and punching the opponent repeatedly until he lost consciousness.

That match had been listed as the Top Ten best UFC fights ever.

Graham never really fully recovered from his injury forcing him to retire from any future fights. After he had recovered from his injury, Dragon Claws hired him to be a full-time trainer. He had been training Regina for five years since becoming a trainer.

Three weeks had passed after Venus FC. Being an outcast at the gym was getting to Regina. She sat on a bench furthest from the other people at Dragon Claws, keeping to herself as she tied her hand wrap on her hands.

"Need some help? You've been tying and retying that thing for a while now." Graham said as he approached his favourite student.

"I don't know why Gold still wants me to train. I'm never representing Dragon Claws again thanks to the cheating rumour."

Unsatisfied with her wrapping, Regina unwrapped the hand wrap from her right hand, rolling the running end around her left fingers.

"Here, let me." Graham took the wrapping from Regina and let it unravel down to the floor. He rolled the wrapping into a tight roll as he spoke. "It's just a rumour, Regina. You'll be vindicated soon enough and when Venus FC end their investigations, you'll be back in the cage again and claim back your title." Graham gave a reassuring smile.

"I feel bad that Emma's win was stolen from her." The brunette said.

"Are you two…" Graham cleared his throat. He wasn't sure if Regina wanted to discuss the blonde with him. This was the first time Regina brought up the blonde.

"Are we what?" Regina raised an eyebrow.

"Are you two still in contact or was it like a one-time thing?" the trainer cleared his throat again.

"We're texting each other. It's all very new but I don't know if we could ever be together. She's so far away."

Graham nodded his head in understanding. He finished rolling the wrapping. He motioned for Regina to hold her hand out. The brunette obliged as Graham proceeded to wrap her right hand.

"I saw the video… Gold… er… he showed it to me."

The brunette looked up at her trainer, intrigued.

"You two looked like you were very into each other." He smiled.

Regina smiled back as she recollected the memory of being out on the beach in Miami with Emma. She wondered when she'll be able to see the blonde again.

"I wished we had more time to spend together."

Graham could feel the sadness Regina felt. He finished the rest of the wrapping in silence.

"Come on, let's get today's training out of the way. I'll bring a bottle of scotch to your room later and you can talk my ear off on how amazing The Saviour is." The trainer said after he was done with the hand wraps.

The brunette smiled and gave Graham a hug.

"Thank you!"

*.*.*.*.*

Weeks went by and the text exchange between Emma and Regina became less and less frequent. They sent each other small polite texts of 'good morning' and 'sweet dreams'. A few random 'I miss you' in the day.

Days later, even those texts grew less frequent until one day, they stopped texting altogether.

Regina hadn't really thought of Emma. The situation at Dragon Claws regained some semblance of normalcy with some of the other fighters and trainers talking to her again.

When it became clear that there wasn't going to be any punishment dealt to Regina for losing, the other fighters no longer felt the need to isolate themselves from the brunette and were relieved because they really looked up to her and did not want to lose the friendship they shared with her.

Regina was talking to Kathryn on how she could improve the blonde's BJJ moves when she saw her mother enter Gold's office which was curious because Cora rarely set foot in the gym despite living in the hostel room next to hers.

Regina decided to investigate what her mother was doing there. She excused herself from Kathryn and walked to the lockers that were just outside of Mr Gold's office.

*.*.*.*.*

"Your planned worked!" Cora said.

"You sound surprised." Gold said dryly, not looking up from his computer.

"Not surprised. Just amazed at your handiwork." The older woman stood next to Gold and dropped the magazine article she was holding in front of him.

"You wanted fame for your daughter and now you have it. Regina is the most talked about MMA fighter in the world. When people think about MMA, they'll think Regina Mills." Gold said as he ignored the article on his table.

The article was in Sports Illustrated. The title of the article read 'Most Influential Women in Sports'. There were pictures of a CEO of a baseball team, the first female referee for NFL and some other business women in the sports industry. Regina Mills and Serena Williams were the only sportswomen to be featured in the article. Under Regina's name, the article listed all of her wins and the continued support from her fans despite the rumours from her last match.

"I still feel it was unnecessary to have that Swan girl win the match. Regina no longer holds the title of Queen of the Cage."

The manager sighed and turned away from his computer screen and looked at Cora Mills.

"Regina will get the title back. Everybody loves a good comeback story."

"That's true." Cora leaned in and kissed Gold deeply.

"I'm glad you turned my daughter's affair into a convincing scandal. The doping rumour you started would have ended with Swan winning and Regina would have been forgotten."

"You have your daughter to thank for that. If that little lezzie hadn't gone out gallivanting on the beach with Emma Swan, we wouldn't have anything to create a rumour with." Gold smiled.

"You did make the security guards sign a non-disclosure for filming the whole thing, right?"

"Of course I did. I even got hold of the footage as well and removed it from their phones. I'm not an idiot."

"Shall I come to your room tonight?" Cora asked.

"Yes. You should leave before anybody sees you."


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: Finally another chapter! I am working hard to try and get this story updated more frequently. Struggled with a little writer's block but I am fine now. Next chapter is already written but my beta reader is away for the next 2 weeks. In the meantime, if you have not yet read my recently completed story Reset, go ahead and read it especially if you like story lines that are connected to the real show. The sequel to Reset will only come out in a few months time so I hope Reset readers will stick for that.**

 **Anyways, enjoy Fighting Spirit!**

* * *

"Hello, mother. What brings you to the gym?" Regina greeted her mother as soon as Cora left Mr. Gold's office.

"Regina! Are you done with training?" the matriarch acquired cheerfully.

"Not quite, I have sparring session before I end my day. Why?" the young fighter was suspicious.

"I want to take you out for dinner to celebrate!"

"And what exactly are we celebrating?" Regina raised a perfectly arched eyebrow.

"This!" the elder Mills showed the magazine article that featured the young fighter.

The younger Mills read the short write up of how she qualified to be listed as one of the 'Most Influential Women in Sports'.

She seemed surprised that she still got listed despite the scandal.

"It's just a silly article. There are other women who deserved to be called most influential but aren't listed. This is just an arbitrary list." Regina handed the article back to her mother.

"Nonsense! You deserve the praise. Don't be too modest."

"Is that what you talked to Gold about?"

"I wanted to thank him for getting you to be recognised for how talented you are."

"Well it's not exactly an even playing field, is it? I am just another manufactured product of the sports industry who got success through pumping in a lot of money to get to where I am." The young brunette pointed out.

"Look around you, Regina. These fighters are getting the same amount of training as you but outside of this gym, not many people know who they are." Cora held both of her daughter's shoulders. "You are very talented, Regina Mills. Embrace that."

The young fighter had never felt this much love from her mother before. She had always been a daddy's girl.

Cora Mills had always set high expectations on her daughter in everything she does. Anything less than a hundred percent was unacceptable.

This new show of affection was foreign to Regina. She felt like a young girl who had made her mother beam with love and pride for her and she liked it.

*.*.*.*.*

"This is nice. I have never got you all to myself in a long time." Cora flashed a sweet smile to her daughter.

"That's because you always have Gold join us." Regina retorted dryly.

"Robert is your manager, dear. He takes good care of you. It's only polite to have him join us." The elder Mills said.

"And then have him pay for our meals." The young fighter chuckled as she shook her head.

"He offered and besides, it's rude to reject such generosity."

The two women clinked their flutes of champagnes. They sat in the middle of a fancy French restaurant at a table for two. The ambience is intimate and romantic with classical music playing softly to add more pretention to the mix.

Regina didn't really like going to snooty fancy restaurants but she gave in to her mother's request so long as Gold was not involved in that evening. The young fighter had insisted that the two of them had dinner alone together. She stopped Cora before she went back to Mr. Gold's office to ask him to join them.

The Mills women went back to their rooms to gussy up after Regina was done with her training for the day. The young brunette picked out a small black dress she had bought some time back but only wore once for a Christmas party the gym threw last year. Cora wore a red dress that women her age wouldn't dare own. It was both elegant and sexy.

Their food arrived. Each dish was brought in by a different server. _Seriously how many waiters did they have to serve the few patrons the restaurant could accommodate?!_ The young brunette thought to herself, her irritation growing with every showcase of unnecessary gimmick the restaurant insisted on having.

The only way they got their seats without any reservations (that had to be made weeks in advance) was through using Regina's celebrity credentials.

The magazine Cora had been carrying around came in handy. Upon recognition of the 'Sports Illustrated's Most Influential Women in Sports', the Maître D' immediately, miraculously, had a table set up, which they often do when celebrities drop in with no reservations.

The elder Mills wasn't too pleased with the location of the table but Regina quickly stopped her mother from making a scene by reminding her that they were lucky to be seated so quickly without having made prior reservations Cora calmed down and graciously thanked the flustered old man who had introduced himself as Marco in a thick Italian accent.

*.*.*.*.*

The evening had gone well. The food, although overpriced by Regina's standard, was rather delicious. The young Mills had the Foie Gras while her mother had a Lobster Thermidor.

The two women were almost done with their main course while shooting the breeze about how the day's training was, why Regina had not bagged the very handsome Graham Humbert, Cora's shopping adventure that week, a potential holiday destination.

"I really want to save up so that I can buy a house for us in Hawaii for us to live in after my contract is up," Regina confessed.

"But Hawaii is so far away from the gym. You will barely get a chance to live there and besides, the island life can get old very quickly." Cora remarked.

"Well, I'm not planning on continuing my career as a fighter once I'm free from my obligations with Dragon Claws."

The elder Mills almost spat out her champagne. She managed to swallow before expressing her disdain to her daughter's decision.

"Regina Maria Mills! You will not throw away the life I have worked so hard to create."

The young brunette scoffed.

"I'm the one who has to go through hours of rigorous training every single day. I am covered in scars from every single one of my fights. Don't make it sound like I have not worked hard to get to where I am today." Regina fought back.

"You think you got your fame from your talents alone? You wouldn't even be featured in this magazine if Gold and I have not created all those scandals!" Cora did not care that she slipped up.

"What?!" It took a lot for the fighter to not throw herself across the table and attack her mother.

"The doping had been you guy's creation?" Regina asked, betrayed by the truth.

"We did it for your own good, dear. Winning all those fights will only bring you fame in the women MMA world which is minuscule at best. We needed a way to have everybody in the world know who you are." The elder Mills said nonchalantly.

"What else?" Regina asked through gritted teeth.

She wanted to know how far the lies and deception goes. She needed to know that her latest scandal was just an unfortunate mistake and not part of her mother and manager's manipulation.

"What, dear?" Cora played dumb.

"Other than the doping, what else have you two done to 'help' my claim to fame?" the younger Mills was losing patience.

"Alright, but keep in mind it was all for your own good."

"Out with it, Mother!" Regina spat out.

"The result of the last match."

"What?!" The young brunette gasped in disbelieve. She knew the result of the match seemed odd.

"Robert bribed the judges to declare Emma the winner."

Regina's heart sank. Emma's win was tainted with a bribe.

"How does that help me? I lost my title after that match."

"Oh don't be naïve, Regina. You losing for the first time helped to clear people's doubt about your doping. The doping scandal put you on the news. We knew you would test clean and the loss will clear your name and show the world that you are capable of losing." Cora's confession had no sign of remorse.

"Why Emma for the fight? Why not choose a seasoned fighter?"

"Well, in a match like this is like David versus Goliath. Everybody would bet on you to win."

"You bet against me?"

"No dear, but I do get a cut of the winnings." Cora smiled.

Regina wanted to leave right there and then but she needed to know how far they went. She wanted to know if her exposed relationship with Emma that resulted in a recall of Emma's win was a result of the elaborate manipulation.

"Did you have anything to do with the viral video of me and Emma at the beach?"

The elder Mills did not have to say anything to admit the betrayal. Her smile alone said it all.

Regina gathered her things and headed out of the restaurant.


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: Warning! This chapter can be triggering. It contains violence and sexual assault.**

 **Sorry it took so long to update, my beta reader was away. The next update will be coming soon. Do follow the story so that you get updated once new chapters are posted. Enjoy!**

* * *

Grabbing only the essentials, Regina packed a duffle bag with haste. She was sure that it wouldn't take long before Cora told Gold that she had learned of all the things the two of them had been conspiring.

The brunette looked out her window. There was no way of climbing down as she was too high up and there wasn't anything she could climb down the building with.

She pulled the bed sheets off of her bed and tied one end to the corner of her blanket. She judged the length of her makeshift rope. It didn't look like it would be long enough to reach the ground safely.

She needed to cut the sheets into smaller strips to make a longer rope. Regina untied the sheets and walked over to her desk to get a pair of scissors.

Just as she was about to pick it up, the door to her dorm room slammed open.

The brunette jumped at the loud sound dropping the scissors back on the table.

Gold had unlocked the door with a skeleton key so quietly that the young fighter couldn't hear him coming.

Without saying a word, the manager quickly shut the door behind him and stood in front of it, blocking the exit. He looked menacingly at the woman before him.

"Going somewhere, dearie?" the man inquired knowing very well what Regina was planning on doing.

"I'm breaking my contract, Gold. I can't allow you and my mother to manipulate me anymore. I will pay whatever amount for breaking the contract. I'm not going to fight or represent the Dragon Claws anymore." The brunette spoke firmly and as calmly as she could despite her heart beating fast in her chest.

"Is that so?" the elder man took slow steps forward, closing the gap between them.

The young brunette moved backwards, leaning against the table behind her.

"You must have forgotten what was written on that contract, Regina. The only way to leave Dragon Claws before the contract is up is either by being thrown out or in a body bag. You gave up your life to me when you signed the contract." The menacing man whispered the last part in the ears.

Regina felt scared and unsure if she would come out of this alive. She shifted away from her manager, sliding along the edge of the table.

A hand shot out and gripped tightly around the neck of the former Queen of the Cage titleholder. She struggled to breathe as the hand constricted her airway.

The fighter had been in chokeholds before but those do not ever press against her windpipe.

Regina desperately tried to pry Gold's hand off of her. Slapping and clawing at the former fighter's tough hands.

She could feel her legs were no longer touching the ground. Her head was pushed back and crashed into the glass on the doors of her bookcase that floats above her desk. The brunette blacked out for a second at the impact. There was no doubt that she had sustained a cut at the back of her head.

"You fight when I tell you to fight!" the manager screamed into her face. "You breathe when I tell you to breathe!" the grip tightened to make the point clear.

"I own you and your body!"

Regina felt another hand pressed into her between her legs. She was more focused on trying to stay alive than to stop the assault on her sex. She clawed at the hand that was close to breaking her neck.

Tears were streaming down her face. She was so close to the brink of death, she was seeing spots, blood had drained from her head. She could feel her body growing limp.

Without warning, she was flung across the room. Regina gasped for air, ignoring the burn as the much-needed oxygen hurt her deflated lung as it filled with air.

Regina Mills was an MMA champion and could easily fight somebody of Robert Gold's size but at that moment, she felt paralyzed and small. The whole situation shocked her. She hated how weak she was looking at that moment. Her body was trembling uncontrollably.

Heavy footsteps approached the helpless woman. Gold raised his leg and stepped on Regina's cheek. The heavy boot almost crushed her jaw.

"I hope you have learnt a valuable lesson." The manager said through gritted teeth.

The young brunette dared not move. She wanted the whole thing to be over even if it meant death. She don't see how she could survive this trauma.

"I can't hear you." Gold said.

"Y… yes." Regina managed to finally say, her throat felt raw.

She felt more pressure on her face.

"Yes, what?" Gold leaned closer to the helpless woman's face.

"Yes… sir." More tears poured out.

The manager lifted his foot off her face.

"Much better."

He reached into his pocket and took out two padlocks. He proceeded to lock the window shut. There was already a latch with a loop for the padlock to secure the window shut.

Something told Regina this was not the first time Gold had to padlock a window shut.

"You're not leaving this room until you've shown you've earned it." The elder man said as he left the room.

The brunette could hear the door getting locked with the second padlock.

Regina felt the back of her head for broken glass. She didn't feel any glass pieces lodged into her head which was a good sign. Her fingers felt some wetness which was no doubt blood.

There weren't much so the bleeding had either stopped or the wound wasn't too deep.

She felt around a little more to see how big the cut was. She could feel a small gash.

The young woman turned to the bathroom and opened the first aid kit she had kept under her sink and proceeded to dress her wound, cleaning the wound with cotton balls soaked with distilled water. She applied some antiseptic solution before wrapping a First Aid Dressing around her head to place pressure on the wound and protect it from getting infected.

As soon as she was done, she placed the first aid box back under the sink. She stood back up and looked at the mirror in front of her.

Her cheek that was stepped on was red. She could see a red hand print on her neck.

Regina's body started trembling again at the memory of what had just unfolded mere minutes ago.

Was she lucky to still be alive or was death a better outcome to escape the hell she was in? The brunette wasn't sure.

She turned on the faucet and started crying.


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N: What?! Another update so soon? Yes! Here you go! You deserve it! I'm sorry last chapter was a bit difficult to read. I hope this chapter makes up for it :D**

* * *

The next day, rumours of Regina's lock-down had spread very quickly at Dragon Claws. The fighters living on "The Queen's" floor heard and saw the commotion. They, of course, did nothing to stop it. They are fully aware of the manager's wrath and it would do them no good if they too were put on lock-down.

Graham received a text message from his friend as she was heading back to her dorm the night before. He was the first to know that Regina had planned to escape and he tried to buy her some time by distracting Robert Gold.

Gold, on the other hand, could not be fooled and knew what the trainer was trying to do.

"If you know what's good for you, Graham, you will get out of my way." The old manager warned.

Graham was worried about Regina, some of the fighters mentioned that they heard Mr Gold hitting the young brunette.

When the trainer got a bit of free time between his training classes, he used that time to slip upstairs to the dorms and check on his best friend.

Upon reaching Regina's door, he was glad to find that there wasn't anyone around. He took out a piece of paper from his pocket and slipped it through the tiny gap underneath the door. He knocked on the door before heading back downstairs.

*.*.*.*.*

Part of the lockdown included no meals. Regina was starving by mid-day. She didn't have much food in her room. Just some packets of chips and biscuits. She wasn't sure how long she was going to be locked in her room so she felt it would be best if she rationed her supply.

She couldn't sleep at all last night. Each time she tried to close her eyes, she would have a flashback of Gold touching her and hitting her.

Being in the ring for as long as she had, she had been used to getting hit but this had a thick layer of betrayal and abuse.

Each time the flashbacks happened, her body would start shaking involuntarily.

Exhausted, Regina spent the day lying in bed. She wasn't sure if she had the will to continue living.

She wished she was with Emma, all the way on the other side of the country.

Regina picked up her phone and searched through her contacts for Emma. Before she hit call she stopped herself.

 _What's the point? I'm never going to see her. I will only burden her with my problems._ She thought to herself.

Regina dropped her phone on the bed and sighed. She closed her eyes and tried to sleep.

She woke up to the sound of knocking on the door. She did not bother to get up and answer it since she was unable to open the door.

The brunette turned and looked at the door as if she had x-ray vision and could see who had knocked on her door.

A piece of paper sitting on the floor just in front of her door caught her attention.

Regina got up and rushed to read the note.

 _Regina,_

 _I hope you are alright. I tried my best to stall Gold but he knew what I was trying to do._

 _I will come and bust you out at 2 a.m. tonight._

 _Get ready._

 _Graham_

The note sparked a new sense of hope. She was glad that she didn't unpack her duffel bag.

Paranoid that the note might get discovered and their plans get stopped prematurely, Regina tore up the note and flushed it down the toilet. She will just lie in bed until Graham came through on his promise.

*.*.*.*.*

The training that day was strange. Everybody knew what had happened to Regina. Some were emotionally affected. Others felt that the punishments were too harsh. But none dared to voice out their opinion for fear that they too would be punished.

The morning started with hush whispers of rumours spreading around. As the day went on, the entire gym became quiet save for some commands from the trainers.

Nobody could focus on the training but they knew that they had to if they didn't want to get on Gold's bad side.

The minute training was over, everybody cleared out of the gym quickly. Nobody stayed behind for personal sparring sessions which meant that the day ended quite early.

Graham went to his room and prepared for Regina's big escape from the hell known as Dragon Claws.

*.*.*.*.*

Regina sat on her bed with her knees tucked under her chin. She didn't know how long she had been in that position for.

Ever since she read the note from Graham, all she could think about was leaving the place she had been calling her home, behind.

The brunette may not have liked it there but she had learnt so many things that made her one of the best fighters there.

Now she wondered if that was even true. Was she ever that good or was it all an illusion created by Gold.

Regina finally decided to sleep the rest of the day away so that she would have the energy to run away later that night.

She got under her covers and rest her head on her pillow. She wondered if she would be able to sleep in a bed again once she left the place.

The young fighter closed her eyes and thought about Emma Swan. She pictured what life would be like if she was not Regina 'The Queen' Mills.

The idea of seeing the blonde again gave Regina some hope but she doubt that she could travel so far and not get caught by Mr Gold's lackeys.

She shook the negatively out of her head and tried to sleep.

*.*.*.*.*

 _Tap! Tap! Tap!_

The soft tapping on the door stirred Regina awake. The brunette looked at her clock that sat on her bedside table.

02:08 a.m.

 _That must be Graham._ The young fighter realised.

Regina ran over to the door and knocked twice to signal to her rescuer that she was ready.

"I'm breaking the lock. Hold on." Graham whispered through the door.

The brunette waited patiently.

Finally, a metallic clang could be heard. Regina assumed that was the sound of the padlock being broken by a bolt cutter.

She tried to open the door to see if her friend had successfully released her from her prison.

Regina turned the doorknob and opened the door slowly and peeked outside.

She was relieved to see Graham's scruffy face.

"You did it." The young brunette whispered excitedly.

"You ready?" the man asked. The look of urgency evident in his face.

Breaking the lock was the easy part, leaving the building would be a little tough. They don't have much time before somebody sees them. There were cameras everywhere.

"Yes," Regina said before grabbing her bag that she had left next to the door and pocketing her phone into her back pocket.

She slung the bag over her shoulder and followed Graham as he led her down the stairs.

They practically ran down the seemingly endless flight of stairs with as minimal noise as possible.

When they finally reached the ground floor, Graham signalled for Regina to wait while he went and checked if the coast was clear before they move through the main lobby, the only way in and out of the building.

Satisfied that they were alone, the trainer returned to the staircase landing and left her into the lobby.

The main doors were locked and could be opened with an access card that only the staff had.

Graham tapped his card on the card scanner to unlock the door. He opened the door and held it open for Regina to pass through.

"Bye, Regina. Good luck." The man whispered.

"You're not coming?" the brunette was surprised.

"No. I'm going to make sure that Gold doesn't find you."

"He will crucify you. You will be the first person he will suspect. Come with me. Get out of this hell while you can." Regina whispered.

Graham looked into the brunette's chocolate brown eyes. He could see the determination in those eyes. He knew that Regina would not budge until she got her way and she was right, he would be the first suspect and he may not survive the punishment for aiding a fighter who was being punished leave and breach a contract.

The trainer turned and looked inside one last time before closing the door behind him.

Regina held his hand and they ran down the street towards the bus station. They have quite a distance to go but there was no looking back at the life they were leaving behind. The adrenaline from their newfound freedom was exhilarating.


	12. Chapter 12

Regina was completely exhausted when she finally made it all the way to San Francisco.

Both Graham and the brunette thought that Mr Gold may have gone straight to Believe to find the runaways so they avoided the obvious by fleeing to Toronto. The trainer had a cousin staying there that nobody knew about so they felt that they could lay low there until Gold had given up looking for them.

Days went by as they looked at all media outlets to see if news of Regina's disappearance had been reported but they found nothing. It looked like Gold had either kept it on down low or he hadn't bothered to look for them.

The brunette knew that it was highly unlikely that Gold had allowed them both to run away although life would have been a lot easier if he had.

It took two months before Graham had agreed to allow Regina to go to San Francisco. They crossed back over the border to Hyperion Heights, Seattle from Vancouver to create a new IDs for themselves.

Regina decided to go back to being Regina Zambrano and changed her hairstyle to avoid being recognised.

They were running low on cash. Regina had withdrawn as much money as she could from the ATM a few blocks from Dragon Claws to avoid any paper trail on her possible whereabouts. She had gotten rid of her phone for the same reason. Whatever amount she could withdraw that night was all the money she had to live off of.

This was her last ditch effort at a new life maybe with Emma Swan. Graham had remained in Hyperion Heights after he started dating a waitress there named Ruby. He was reluctant to let Regina go to San Francisco by herself but she insisted that he see where his new relationship with the incredibly hot waitress would go. They wished each other well and parted ways.

The brunette had never been to the shady part of San Francisco and did not have the address of Believe Mixed Martial Arts Gym with her. It took her quite some time of asking around before she finally found it.

The place was the complete opposite of Dragon Claws. The sign above the door was cheap looking and the lights on the 'V-E' of the word 'BELIEVE' was not working. The size of the gym was very small but there were many members inside. Most of them teenagers who looked malnourished.

Regina remembered what Emma told her about the gym and how it had saved her life. The runaway fighter wondered if the gym could be her salvation as well.

She took a deep breath and pushed the door to the gym open. She spotted Emma immediately. The blonde had not noticed Regina come in.

The brunette took in the gorgeous woman in front of her. Emma had her hair up in a loose bun. Stray hair was plastered to her face from perspiration. She was wearing an oversized t-shirt that fell off one shoulder revealing a white sports bra similar to the one she wore during the fight for Venus FC. She had a pair of Muay Thai shorts on and was barefoot.

The blonde appeared to be moving in slow motion in Regina's mind. She passed the brunette and went behind the front desk. She pulled out a box of training cards. She was probably preparing for the next class, the brunette figured.

Catching herself staring, Regina cleared her throat and tried to get the preoccupied blonde's attention.

"Hi, Emma!"

Emma turned to the source of the voice. Her jaw fell open. She was completely surprised and frozen in place.

The brunette flashed a big grin and gave a little wave.

"Hi!" Regina said shyly.

"Emma! Hurry! Class is about to… Regina?" Lily stopped in her tracks.

"Regina! What are you doing here?" The blonde finally said.

"I've come to see you… You're clearly busy. I can hang around and wait until you're done with class." The brunette offered.

"I don't think you should be here, Regina. We don't want you to be accused of being a spy, do we?" Lily said as she stood in front of Emma protectively.

"It's… it's okay, Lily. I'll handle this. Could you cover warm-up for me please?" The blonde trainer tried her best to divert her best friend's attention away from Regina.

"Sure… Be careful. Don't trust everything she says." Lily whispered to Emma before staring Regina down and walking back to the training area.

The brunette from Brooklyn was surprised at the hostility she got from the lanky brunette. She remembered Emma mentioning Lily before. She realised that the woman was very protective from living on the streets. Being from a rival gym did seem like a threat especially with the unexpected outcome of the match. Regina did not blame her from reacting that way.

"Don't mind her. She's only looking out for me." Emma reassured her… the blonde wasn't sure what Regina was to her. Do they still qualify as lovers after not hearing from the other for so long?

The brunette walked over to the front desk to be closer to the blonde. It took a lot to not throw herself onto the woman in front of her. If it wasn't for the counter, Regina would have jumped onto Emma and kiss the life out of her.

"How are you?" the brunette knows she should say more than that but she did not know how to explain her reason for being there.

Emma raised an eyebrow. "You came all this way just to ask me that?"

The blonde looked at the big duffel bag Regina had slung on her shoulder.

"What's going on, Regina? What are you doing here?" Emma asked. Concern clear in her voice.

"It's a long story… can I crash at your place for a while?" the brunette asked nervously.

There were so many things running through the blonde's mind. Something was off about Regina. If she travelled all the way to the west coast, why didn't she pack a suitcase, as she did in Miami? The woman standing in front of her was far from the glamorous 'Queen' on the cover of a sports magazine. She looked lost and broken just like…

"Emma? What's going on?" David interrupted Emma's train of thought. He sounded a little breathless having rushed over after hearing about Regina's sudden appearance.

"David, Regina is in town for a while and she needs a place to stay." The blonde explained.

"My office… the both of you!" the owner commanded.

The two women shared a confused look and tailed David Nolan into his office.

*.*.*.*.*

It was like a flashback from high school. Both Emma and Regina sat in silence in front of David like two teenage delinquents being reprimanded by the principal.

"You can't be seen here, Regina," David spoke, finally.

"I'm just visiting a friend. It's not like it's a crime." The brunette did not mean to sound childish but she really did not understand what the big deal was.

David pinched the bridge of his nose in silent contemplation.

"What's going on here?" Emma could not take the dramatics anymore.

"Listen, I know the results of the match is still under investigation…" Regina started but was quickly cut off by David when he held up his hand signalling for her to stop.

"This is not about that." The manager sighed as if he had a lot of weight resting on his shoulders. "Robert Gold contacted me a few days ago." He explained.

"Oh." That was all Regina could manage to say.

She can't hide nor lie about what she had done now that the cat was already out of the bag.

"He said that you went missing and had breached the terms of your contract."

Emma's eyes grew wide as she looked at the brunette for confirmation. Regina avoided eye contact.

"He has eyes here, Regina. They probably saw you come in. I need to know what's going on. Please. If you want us to help you, you need to be honest with me." David pleaded. He knew he was running out of time. If Gold's private eye had seen Regina go into the gym, it won't be long before Gold would be alerted of this.

"Please… you have to help me. If Gold knows I'm here, I think he will have someone kill me." Regina could feel her body tremble at the thought. She wasn't being dramatic. She knew the Gold had it in him to have her killed and make it look like an accident.

"Tell me what happened," David said in a calm voice.

Emma reached over and held Regina's hand in hers, reassuring the brunette that she was safe there.

Regina wiped her tears away and faced David with a serious look on her face.

"The match was rigged."


	13. Chapter 13

**A/N: I'm so sorry this took so long to be updated. December had been a busy and crazy month for me. January is not looking that free either. Had suddenly found myself having to sort out my living arrangement. It's a long story. Will update when I can. I hope you will continue to follow the story. I intend to finish this fanfic it might take some time but it will be done.**

* * *

"The match was rigged." Regina averted her eyes. She knew that she wasn't guilty but she felt ashamed to be part of it even if she wasn't aware of it.

Neither David nor Emma knew what to say and the brunette did not know where to begin. Regina glanced at the owner of Believe. He was rubbing the stubble on his chin, clearly pondering on what to make of the information. She didn't need to look at the blonde. The rage coming out from the woman on her right could be felt. Regina could tell that Emma was hurt by this and she wondered if the blonde would hate her if she told the whole story.

The silence was deafening.

"How?"

Both David and Regina looked up at Emma who broke the long silence.

"What?" the brunette did hear the question but she was more surprised at how calm the blonde sounded.

"Mr Gold and… my mother; they bribed the judge so that you would win." The Dragon Claw fighter explained.

"So I won because your gym bribed the judges? That doesn't make any sense."

"My manager is playing a long game. They will do whatever it takes to make me popular." Regina could taste the bile rising up her throat as she said the word 'popular'.

"Too bad the video of us… on the beach backfired their plans." Emma said.

"Actually, that was them also."

"Are you fucking kidding me?!"

"Emma… "

"I should have known that you were just using me. There is no way that someone like you would ever be into someone like me!" The blonde got up from her chair and started to leave.

"Emma, wait!"

Emma stopped.

"The moment I knew about it, I left. What they did was despicable and manipulative."

The blonde turned to face Regina.

"What I felt… what I feel for you is real, Emma. I've thought about you every single day."

"Really?" the blonde's voice softened.

David cleared his throat to remind the two women that he was still there. He needed to stop them before things got really awkward for him.

"Regina, thank you for telling us about the match. But you still can't be here." The manager said.

"Please… I don't have anywhere else to go. I can't go back to Dragon Claws. Gold... he… I… I just can't." the brunette started crying. The thoughts of what her manager did to her went through her mind.

She hated this. She hated appearing weak in front of Emma.

"Regina…" Emma wrapped her arms around the brunette.

"Please, Emma. He… he hit me."

"What?!"

"He hit me… and then he… he… locked me in my room." Regina started trembling. She couldn't say any more than that. The trauma of that day gave her nightmare every night.

"Regina, you are shaking."

"You can stay." David suddenly said.

"What?" Emma and Regina asked in unison.

"You can stay with me and my wife for the time being. Emma's place is a little… uh… crowded."

"No, it's fine. Regina can stay with me and Lily. I'll just talk to her about it."

"Thank you! The brunette burst into tears. "I'm really grateful."

The blonde held Regina in her arms, comforting her.

"Emma, take the rest of the day off to help Regina get settled. I'll reassign somebody else to take over your classes."

"What about Gold? What if someone tries to track me down, as you said?"

"Leave it to me. Emma, go around the back way. If there is any trouble, call me right away." David instructed.

The blonde nodded her understanding. She helped Regina with her duffel bag. The two women exited the office.

*.*.*.*.*

Once outside her apartment, Emma started regretting offering her tiny hovel of an apartment as a shelter for Regina. She could feel her face flush with embarrassment.

Even though she was now staying with just Lily as opposed to with three other girls when she first started renting the place, the apartment was still pretty cramped.

It didn't matter to her before because they did not have many worldly possessions. Each girl slept on the floor. They had a mattress and a pillow to sleep on, a bathroom with hot water, a tiny kitchen they would only use to make ramen in.

Emma and Lily had since upgraded to a twin bed and a sofa bed they bought second-hand off Craigslist. The sofa bed opens up to be a queen sized bed. It would be used by whoever who brought home a date but they never really got to use it for that purpose as working at the gym had left them pretty much exhausted by the end of each day. Splitting the rent two ways meant that they had to work extra hard to cover the cost. They instead took turns sleeping on the queen bed.

There is a curtain that ran through the apartment, giving the girls some form of privacy. Seeing each other all day was getting to them. The little bit of privacy gave them some space to be alone. They had the curtain put up shortly after their two roommates left.

Emma and Lily started bickering over small things. The thin piece of fabric made out of old sheets saved their friendship.

The blonde was about to test their friendship once again by bringing Regina home to crash there for… Emma wasn't sure how long the brunette was going to be staying with them for. She prayed that her best friend will be in a good mood when she returns home.

Regina sensed Emma's hesitation to open the door.

"Emma, thank you so much for helping me out. Ever since I ran away, I had been crashing at stranger's homes. I couldn't settle anywhere because I was in hiding. I couldn't be seen outside because people would recognise me and that would get Gold's attention. Mr Nolan and you made me feel… safe. I'm just glad that at least for now, I don't need to run anymore." Regina smiled at Emma.

The blonde's feeling of embarrassment disappeared. She was helping. It didn't matter to Regina how the apartment looked. Emma was providing safety and shelter. She knew what it was like when she was living on the streets.

Emma inserted a key into the keyhole and unlocked the door to her apartment.

"Welcome to the Swan-Page Residence." The blonde said with a smile as she led Regina into the apartment.

"This is perfect," the brunette said.

"Really?"

"Because I get to be with you," Regina said with a twinkle in her eye.

*.*.*.*.*

"I thought we have an understanding, Mr Nolan?" the voice on the line said.

"And what is that, Mr Gold?" David said calmly not letting Regina's manager scare him.

"You were supposed to alert me once Regina appears at your gym."

"Well, you already know that she is here so I don't see what the problem is."

"I will be making my way over tomorrow to take back what's mine."

"I don't think so."

"Excuse me?" Gold was taken aback by the other manager's gall.

"Regina is part of Believe now."

"I'm afraid that is not possible. Regina Mills is still under contract with Dragon claws." Robert Gold was starting to lose his cool.

"That contract ended when you hit her. You will leave her alone or else your prison-like style of running an MMA gym will be exposed to the public along with all the things you did to make Regina 'popular'."

David waited for a reply on the other line but was met with the sound of dial tone.

He hung up the phone and smiled to himself, pleased at how he handled the situation.


	14. Chapter 14

**A/N: Sorry it has been so long since I posted the last chapter. Had some personal stuff to deal with like suddenly needing to find a new place to stay and moving to a new place. It has been quite a bit of a stressful moment for me. Now things have kind of stabilized a little. But next chapter may not be up so soon either.**

 **Thank you so much for sticking around. I hope to get this story moving as soon as possible and also to work on the sequel to 'Reset' if any of you have been waiting for an update on that. I miss the Reset verse.**

* * *

Robert Gold slammed the phone down onto the receiver of his telephone. There was something gratifying about hanging up corded telephones. Smartphones don't really do much for angry phone calls. Although, throwing them across the room can be quite satisfying. The old manager mused.

He was losing control of the gym. The other fighters started fighting back. Mr Gold had placed a harsh curfew on all the fighters. Training had stopped until further notice. Everybody was confined to their rooms. A couple of fighters had tried to escape their 'prison' but were unsuccessful.

Sudden withdrawal from fights had drawn unwanted attention from the media. He needed to get Regina back and bring order to the gym before he loses everything.

*.*.*.*.*

While Regina had gone to take a shower, Emma tried her best to 'tidy up' the apartment the best she could.

The blonde cleared out one of her drawers and made room in her wardrobe. She wasn't sure if there was enough space but looking at the size of the duffle bag Regina had brought with her, she figured that the small storage space wouldn't be much of a problem.

Emma was changing the pillowcase on one of the pillows when the scent of her body wash filled the air. She turned to see the brunette in Emma's only towel. The blonde took a mental note to add a new towel to the list of things she needed to get for Regina's stay at the apartment.

The two women stood in silence, staring at the other, not knowing what the proper etiquette for crashing at a lover's place unannounced was.

Emma was the first to break eye contact. She cleared her throat.

"I've cleared out a drawer for you to put your things in. You can hang your clothes in my wardrobe if you like."

"That's very nice of you. Thank you, dear." Regina replied as she lingered awkwardly in the 'room'.

It took Emma a while to realise that the brunette needed some privacy to get dressed. She quickly excused herself and ran to the kitchen.

 _Is it too late to take up David's offer?_ The blonde asked herself internally.

*.*.*.*.*

Emma and Regina had sat on the sofa bed for over an hour sipping on hot cocoa the blonde had made while she hid in the kitchen earlier. The brunette was sharing some of the interesting places she had been while on the run. They kept the topic light without going into any of the traumatising experiences.

The front door flew open all of a sudden which caused Regina to almost drop the mug she was holding in her hand.

"Emma! Can we talk for a minute? Outside!" Lily said through clenched teeth and a fake smile plastered on her face. The anger was evident in her voice.

The blonde begrudgingly obliged her best friend's request. She smiled apologetically to Regina.

"I'll be right back," Emma said but all of the women in the apartment knew that it might take some time to sort out the situation.

The blonde had only just managed to take one step out the front door before Lily began her rant.

"I can't believe you brought her into our apartment without discussing it with me first!" the brunette snarled.

"Whoa! Lil! Lower your voice, she can hear you." Emma quickly closed the door behind her so that the two of them could talk more privately, hopefully without offending Regina.

"We have a code, Emma. This apartment is our; safe space. We always discuss before bringing someone new into our home." The roommate whispered angrily.

"Lily, her life is in danger. I can't just leave her on the streets." The blonde reasoned.

"This is Regina 'The fucking Queen' Mills we are talking about! She has money. She has people behind her. She is no damsel in distress!" The brunette's voice got loud again.

Emma sighed. Clearly, there was no point in shielding Regina from this argument since she probably heard every single word her angry best friend said.

"Not anymore."

"What does that mean?"

Emma sighed. "It's a long story. I'll tell you later."

Before Lily could protest any further, the blonde held up her hand to stop the brunette.

"Just… trust me, okay?" Emma pleaded.

Lily looked to the door that stood between them and Regina. She took a few seconds to think about it.

"Fine! I'll go get my things." The brunette was about to go back inside but Emma stopped her.

"What do you mean? Where are you going?" the blonde asked.

"You don't expect me to stick around while you bang your girlfriend all day and night, do you?"

Emma cringed at the thought of Lily watching her and Regina having sex.

"But where will you go?" she asked.

"I'm going to David's. He offered to let me stay in his guest room for the time being." The brunette informed before heading back inside.

Emma stood dumbfounded at why they argued in the first place. She shrugged and joined Regina leaving Lily to pack her things.

It didn't take the lanky brunette long to pack her essentials into her backpack. She didn't have many possessions and she figured if she needed more of her things, she could always return to the apartment to get it or have Emma bring it over to the gym and pass it to her there.

Lily barely made eye-contact with Regina in the entire packing process. She hugged Emma and said goodbye. She ignored Emma's girlfriend and left the apartment with her essential supplies.

"She hates me, doesn't she?" Regina asked once the front door slammed shut.

"Pretty much."

"Why?"

"Don't worry. She is just being protective of me. She will get over it soon enough." The blonde reassured her new roommate.

"I hope so," Regina said sadly.

*.*.*.*.*

"I knew keeping you around would be handy." Mr Gold said as he crept closer to the limp body chained to the bedpost.

It wasn't clear if the woman was awake as she made no indication of being aware of what was going on.

She was the first person to be held prisoner by Mr Gold after Regina's escape. Being fed only bread and water once a day was barely enough to keep her energy up.

Unsatisfied by the lack of response, the old man raised his walking stick high in the air and struck hard onto the woman's back.

The brunette yelped in pain and sat up slowly in her bed. The chain that tethered her ankle to the bedpost rattled as she did so.

"What do you want?" The prisoner refused to allow her captor the satisfaction of seeing her weak.

"I want you to bring your daughter back, Cora."


	15. Chapter 15

**A/N: Trigger warning, this chapter contains a suicide attempt.**

* * *

"I will never help you. I'm glad my daughter has better judgement than I do. You will never see Regina again." Cora sneered.

Robert Gold lunged at his prisoner and grabbed her by the neck.

"You must be confused. I wasn't asking!" He snarled right into Cora's face.

The elderly woman shivered with fear but she kept a brave face. She had been a fool. What kind of mother makes use of her daughter the way she did? It wasn't until her boyfriend stripped her of her rights and freedom by keeping her prisoner that she began to see Gold for who he truly was; a monster.

The moment Regina's manager found out that Regina had escaped, she was chained to her bed and locked in her room. She regretted the things she did to her own daughter. She regretted getting into bed with the devil. There wasn't anything she could do now. She prayed that Regina got as far away from Gold's grasp as possible.

Her captor released his grip on her neck and took out a key from his pocket. He unlocked the chain around her ankle and grabbed her wrist.

"Get your things, we are going to San Francisco." Mr Gold ordered.

*.*.*.*.*

Emma was reluctant to leave Regina all alone at the apartment but Regina insisted that the blonde carried on her day as per normal. It took a lot of convincing before she agreed to go to the gym that morning.

Their first night together was awkward. They avoided eye contact while turning the sofa into a bed and ended up accidentally getting on the same side of the bed. They laughed nervously at the mistake. Emma quickly moved on to the other side of the bed. They kissed each other goodnight with a small peck on the lips but laid awake on their backs. Their bodies longing to touch the others'.

The blonde slid her left hand slowly to her left. The mere thought of making physical contact with her bedfellow made her giddy with excitement. Just as she was about to make contact, Regina had turned, her back now facing Emma. Disappointed, the blonde withdrew her hand and turned her body to face the other way. She closed her eyes, deciding that it was best not to rush anything.

"Emma?" Regina's voice was soft, almost a whisper.

"Yeah?" the blonde replied. Neither woman turned to face the other.

"Could you hold me, please? Until I… until I fall asleep." The brunette pleaded.

The vulnerability in her voice broke Emma's heart. She had no idea what Regina had gone through but she knew that the woman next to her sounded broken.

The blonde turned and unwrapped her arms around the older woman. They both adjusted themselves and got comfortable. Regina placed her hands on top of Emma's.

For the first time in forever, Regina Mills felt safe. It didn't take her long before she drifted off to sleep.

The tiny snore coming from the brunette surprised the blonde when she first heard it. She smiled at how normal it felt to hold Regina in her arms.

Whatever Robert Gold did to Regina led to the brunette being there but Emma still wanted to make the man pay for destroying Regina's life.

The blonde could not sleep that night. Thoughts of revenge ran through her mind. She tried to calm herself down by going through a list of how she was going to hurt Gold in alphabetical order.

A – Arson, set the whole gym on fire.

B – Blunt force trauma, punch him in the head repeatedly.

C – Choking to death on her knuckles.

D – Drowning on his own piss.

E – Elephant trampling him at a stampede.

F – F… Flushing down the toilet?

As she went down the list, her anger began to dissipate as she came up with sillier ways to cause harm to the vile man. She soon calmed down and drifted off to sleep.

*.*.*.*.*

Cora was still weak from the lack of sustenance for so many weeks. She had no idea how long she had been there. She had stopped counting after the first month, resigned to her fate. This was how she was going to date.

When Gold left her room, she prayed that she did not see Regina ever again. She was glad to hear that her daughter had run far away she hoped that Regina had continued running so that the 'son of Satan' never see the fighter again.

Cora got out of bed slowly, her muscles were weak. She took a moment before standing upright and hobbled her way over to her dresser. She had no intention of leaving the room alive.

The old woman grabbed her Versace scarf and tied it into a noose. She looked up at the ceiling for a possible place to hang the noose from. Her only option was the ceiling fan she would use during the summer.

Cora hobbled to her chair that was located across the room and dragged the heavy furniture to the middle of the room.

She wished she hadn't bought a heavy designer chair for her dressing table. She wasn't able to push the chair without making noise, as the legs of the chair screeched against the hardwood floor.

Climbing up the chair proved to be a difficult task considering how feeble she had become from lack of sustenance but Cora was determined to finish the task at hand.

Just as she was tying her makeshift noose to a blade of her ceiling fan, her bedroom door flew open and an angry Gold dashed over and grabbed her by her hair.

"You stupid woman!" he yelled as he dragged the suicidal woman off the chair.

"You can die after I got what I want. Do you understand? You can forget about gathering your things. We are leaving now!"

Gold released his grip on her hair and proceeded to clutch tightly onto her wrist and pull her behind him as he exited the room.

Everything happened so fast, Cora did not even notice how awkwardly her arm swung off her elbow. Her arm felt numb. She could only feel aggressive tugs but not the feeling of his hand on her skin.

The woman felt faint and collapsed.

*.*.*.*.*

"So, how is her majesty?" Lily asked as soon as Emma stepped foot into the gym.

"Geez! Have you been standing there all morning to ask me that?" Emma walked past her best friend not noticing how close to the truth her accusation was.

"I'm surprised you still have the energy to come to work after _fucking_ your girlfriend all night." Lily teased.

Emma huffed out a sigh of frustration.

"Do you have a problem, Lily?" annoyance evident in the blonde's voice.

"Whoa! Somebody woke up at the wrong side of the brunette this morning."

Emma ignored Lily and headed straight to the changing room.

David watched the exchange the two best friends had and shook his head. He will need to have a word with Lily about her behaviour later while they head back to his home.

*.*.*.*.*

Cora blinked her eyes open. The harsh bright light in the room was blinding. She looked around to find herself chained to an unfamiliar bed. It was big and definitely not hers nor Gold's. She rubbed the sleep from her eyes and scanned the room for a clue as to where she was.

The windows that lined the walls on either side of the bed were small. She could see fluffy white clouds passing by.

She was on a plane.

 _Shit!_

"You're up." It was more of a statement than an observation.

Cora sneered at the vile man that had just entered the room.

The sudden shooting pain in her right arm distracted her from coming up with a witty comeback.

She wondered if it was her imagination or if her arm looked completely distorted.

"You've dislocated your arm." Mr Gold answered the unspoken question.

"You've got to take me to the hospital!" Cora looked away from her arm, the sight of which was making her sick.

Although she had watched a lot of MMA matches and Regina had had her fair share of similar injuries, Cora had managed to avoid looking at the injuries before they were treated. Seeing her own injury now made her feel light-headed.

"We're on a tight schedule, dearie. We don't have time for stopovers." The man said, completely disregarding the woman's condition.

"Please, I'm in a lot of pain," Cora begged.

Mr Gold left the room without saying anything.

The prisoner didn't really care much about her health. She almost ended her life not hours ago. She just wanted to buy Regina more time.

 _Run Regina!_

Cora prayed that her daughter could sense the danger that was headed her way.


	16. Chapter 16

**A/N: Yes that is right! Another chapter is up. I'm still working on the next chapter so the next update will take some time.**

* * *

"… 99 … 100! Good job guys!" Emma stood up from the sit-up position and clapped her hands."

Her class mirrored her actions, applauding and cheering having made through yet another gruelling Muay Thai class. They gathered their boxing gloves and headed to the changing rooms.

The trainer walked over to the sound system and unplugged her flash drive that was playing traditional Thai music for the last sparring session for the night. She picked up her towel that was sitting on the chair next to the sound equipment and wiped the beads of sweat that had formed on her forehead.

"Em?"

Emma sighed at the recognition of the voice. She had managed to avoid Lily the whole day. She was too exhausted to deal with her best friend's antics.

Seeing as there was no way to avoid the slender brunette any longer, Emma decided it was best to just get this over with.

"What do you want?"

"I'm sorry, Ems. I was a jerk."

"That's an understatement."

The blonde wasn't sure if the brunette was entirely to blame for how she reacted. Ever since Regina showed up at the gym, Emma had wanted to jump her bones. She felt embarrassed that her sexual frustration had got in the way of her friendship.

"I'm sorry too. I overreacted."

"So… are we cool?" Lily asked sheepishly.

"Yep. We are cool." Emma smiled.

The brunette squealed and jumped into the blonde's arms.

"No more jokes about Regina though."

Lily held Emma's hands in her palms. "I promise."

"You wanna get drinks later?"

"Rain check? I promised David I will babysit little Neal for him tonight. Besides, I'm sure Regina is waiting for you at home."

"Alright then. Another time."

"Yep." Lily turned towards the mats and helped Emma pick up pads that were used during the lesson earlier, content that her friendship with her best friend was restored.

*.*.*.*.*

"This is ridiculous!" Robert Gold muttered under his breath.

"You don't have to be here if you don't want to," Cora said to her captor.

Gold snickered. "And let you run away and warn Regina? I don't think so."

The waiting area of the hospital was packed to capacity. A patient in a wheelchair bleeding from the head was wheeled past them.

The old man cursed his driver for bringing them to the most packed hospital in San Francisco. They have been in the waiting area for about two hours. Cora's arm slung awkwardly on her lap. She was thankful the triage nurse asked another nurse to bring her an ice pack to reduce the pain and swelling on her elbow.

The elderly woman was surprised Gold brought her to get treated at all. Although she was in excruciating pain, she was thankful that it bought Regina some time. However, with no way to contact her daughter, she could only hope that Regina was smart enough to not stick around in the city.

"Mrs Cora Mills?" A nurse called out into the crowded room.

Cora got up and walked over to the nurse with Gold in tow.

"Madam, if you don't mind" Cora corrected the woman.

"Sorry, Madam Mills. Room 42."

Cora Mills nodded her acknowledgement of the information and made her way to the doctor's office.

The nurse stopped Mr Gold who was clearly about to enter the room with the woman.

"I'm sorry, sir, patients only." She explained.

"I'm her husband." He lied and followed Cora despite the nurse's protest.

Cora turned and narrowed her eyes at the vile man. She had no idea why she even dated him in the past.

"Come on, dearie. Let's get your arm checked out." Robert Gold said as he led his prisoner by the waist, keeping up appearances.

"Try anything and I'll make sure Regina will suffer the consequence." Gold whispered in Cora's ear right before she could turn the doorknob to the doctor's consultation room.

The woman swallowed the lump in her throat. Any plans at seeking help to escape thrown out the window. She stepped into the room.

"Have a sit Mrs Mills." The doctor said as soon as he saw her.

"Madam."

"Right. Madam Mills. I am Dr Whale. It says here that you suspected to have dislocated your elbow." Dr Whale said as he gestured for Cora to release the ice pack for him to inspect the injury.

"That's correct."

"How did it happen?" The doctor looked up at Cora for the answer.

Cora turned to look at Gold, unsure of how to answer the question.

Dr Whale raised an eyebrow and turned to look at the other man in the room. Based on experience, the nervous expression usually indicated that there was more to the story than what they revealed. Most likely the patient had been deliberately injured by someone.

"It's my fault, doctor. My wife here and I were crossing the street and a car sped towards us. I was already on the sidewalk when I noticed the vehicle and in a panic, I pulled my wife to safety by her hand. I underestimated my strength I guess and ended up dislocating her elbow. Isn't that right, dear?" Mr Gold placed both his hands on Cora's shoulder, giving it a tight squeeze to remind her to not say anything to piss him off.

The woman laughed. "That's right. My husband, the hero." Cora said dryly.

Dr Whale looked back and forth between the two people in front of him. He wasn't sure of what to make of the pair. He decided to carry on with his examination.

The doctor checked both wrists for a pulse. He immediately noticed the pulse on the injured arm was significantly faint as compared to her left arm.

I'm going to touch you at different points on your arm. Let me know if you can feel them."

He began touching different parts of her arm with the back of his pen. Cora could feel all of the touches except for a point just below her wrist.

The doctor took note of the feedback.

"Can you wiggle your fingers?" the doctor said.

Cora moved her fingers but her thumb stayed still.

"Can you try to move your thumb?"

The patient tried her best to move it but nothing happens.

"I can't seem to be able to do it."

"Your bone may be pressing onto a nerve or artery which can occur in an injury like yours."

The doctor performed a few more examinations before informing Cora and Gold to proceed to the X-ray area to have an X-ray done of her elbow.

Mr Gold had a feeling they would be spending the whole day at the hospital.

Moments later, while Cora was in the X-ray room, Gold took out his phone and called his private investigator.

"Is she still there?" he asked the man on the other line.

"Yes and she appears to be alone."

Gold was fuming at the missed opportunity. He could have had Regina in his grasp but he had to waste it all on getting her mother treated for her pathetic injury.

"Keep an eye on her and take note of what time the blonde returns home. Are you being discreet?"

"I've rented an apartment that has a direct view into her current place of residence."

"Very good. Report back to me if anything changes."

"Yes, sir."

Mr Gold was pleased that although his schedule was delayed, Regina wasn't going anywhere.

*.*.*.*.*

Cora changed into a paper gown. She found it ridiculous to have to remove her clothing to take an X-ray of her arm.

The technician escorted Cora into the X-ray room and closed the door behind her.

Unaware of the presence of another person in the room, Cora proceeded to follow behind the technician. It took her a while to notice a man in the room with them wearing a lab coat.

"Madam Cora Mills?"

Cora looked up at the sound of the male voice.

"Dr Whale? Do you usually observe X-rays being taken of your patients?"

"Not normally. No. I just want to have a word with you in private without your husband present." The doctor said nervously.

"Why?"

"Are you being abused by your husband?"

* * *

 **A/N:** **I would like to say that the hospital scene is based on some personal experience I had when I fractured my elbow (tiny piece of bone fractured from inside that even the X-ray machine could not detect). I'm sorry if any of the hospital scene is unrealistic or inaccurate, I am not a doctor nor have I dislocated my elbow. I am also not familiar with how hospitals are run in the US. If any of you spot any inaccuracies, do let me know in the comment or PM, I will update the story accordingly. Thanks!**


	17. Chapter 17

**A/N: This chapter is NSFW. Enjoy!**

* * *

This was it! Her chance to escape!

 _Try anything and I'll make sure Regina will suffer the consequence._ Gold's threat echoed in her mind.

Cora stood still as a statue. She wondered what the chances are for her to locate Regina herself and warn her. If she allowed the doctor to free her, it would mean that the monster waiting outside could get to Regina even sooner and he might hurt her daughter as a result of her actions. On the other hand, if she denied the truth, she will be stuck with her captor. Her instinct of self-preservation was fighting with her newly recovered maternal instinct she hasn't had since her husband died.

"Madam Mills?" The doctor said finally after not getting a response from his patient.

Cora burst out laughing.

"Are you serious?! Do you really think that Robert would do this to me on purpose?" The injured woman laughed again.

Dr Whale looked confused.

"So you're alright then? You are not in any danger?" The doctor asked again, running his fingers through his blonde hair, embarrassed about the whole thing.

"Does that old man look dangerous to you? What were you going to do? Have him arrested?"

Cora's laughter faded as she suddenly wondered what would have happened if the doctor had gotten Gold arrested. Could the man be put in jail permanently? No. That would never happen. The manager of one of the world's top winning gym would have the means to hire the best lawyers to get him out of prison. He may even drag her down with him as an accomplice. It was best to not have the cops involved, she concluded.

"I'm terribly sorry. I'll leave you to get your x-ray taken. I will see you once I have received the x-ray result." Without waiting for a reply, Dr Whale hurriedly left the room.

 _You're doing the right thing. You're doing the right thing._ Cora repeated in her head over and over again, convincing herself that this was the best solution.

*.*.*.*.*

By the time Emma had reached the front door of her apartment, it was already close to 11 p.m. The last training had ended at 10 p.m. With David and Lily leaving earlier, Emma was left to check the conditions of the equipment on her own before locking up.

She was glad that her apartment was so close to the gym. Emma reached into her jeans pocket to retrieve her house key. Just as she was about to insert the key into the keyhole, the door opened. The sight that greeted her left her jaw on the floor.

Regina was dressed in a short piece of see-through kimono that belonged to Lily. Emma remembered her roommate had bought it to wear as outerwear. She must have left it in the bathroom. The blonde could see the brunette's taut nipples against the sheer material. She involuntarily licked her lips at the sight. Her breath hitched in her throat when Regina flashed a shy smile and undid the knot that held the clothing together. The fabric slid off her shoulders easily and pooled around her ankles revealing her body in its most natural form.

There was no mistaking the agenda for that night. Without hesitating, Emma dropped her gym bag in the doorway and wrapped her arms around the brunette's waist and kissed the woman passionately. Not wanting to give her neighbours a free show, the blonde slid her arms down to just below her perfectly round bottom and lifted Regina off the ground, moving into the apartment. One leg kicked her bag aside. Regina leaned forward and reached for the door and closed it once the doorway was clear, all the while never releasing the blonde's thin lips from hers.

Emma turned around and slammed the woman in her arms against the door. Regina wrapped her legs around Emma's waist, grinding slowly, needing some friction. The blonde broke the kiss and released one hand to unzip her sweater. The brunette assisted in the undressing, trusting that she will not fall. She did not wait for the sweater to come off the blonde's body. She wanted skin contact fast. Hooking her thumbs under Emma's t-shirt, Regina raised the cotton clothing up revealing rock-hard abs. The brunette moaned at the pleasure of warm skin coming into contact with her moist sex. She kneaded the blonde's breasts that were still safely kept in a sports bra.

The blonde gyrated her body to Regina's rhythm. The stitching of her tight jeans pressed against her own arousal gave the friction that she desperately needed. The movements turned into quick thrusts that the brunette gladly welcomed. Each thrust caused Regina's ass to bang against the door, rattling the wooden barrier. She trailed kisses down the brunette's jawline.

"Emma… please…" the brunette begged.

Understanding what Regina needed, Emma gently let the brunette down, keeping her pinned against the door. She placed her hand between the brunette's thighs. She parted Regina's lips with one finger and inserted it into her opening. Regina yelped with pleasure. She could feel herself quickly reaching the peak of her climax with each pump of the finger.

Emma covered her mouth over one of the brunette's breast, rolling her tongue around her beaded flesh.

"Come for me, Regina." The blonde breathed, the hot breath tickling the brunette's skin.

The sound of Emma whispering Regina's name was enough to drive the brunette over the edge. She rode out her orgasm. The blonde used another finger to rub Regina's clit, bringing her into another wave of climax.

Overwhelmed by the sensation, the brunette held Emma's arm and gently pushed it away. She slumped her body onto the blonde. Emma supported the brunette and kept her upright while she rode the rest of her orgasm.

"Welcome home," Regina said.

"Not a bad way to be greeted after a long day at work." The blonde said.

Slowly recovering from her orgasm, Regina stood up on her own and frown when she realised Emma was still fully dressed.

"You still have your clothes on." The brunette whined.

"I kinda didn't get a chance to take it off."

"Let me help you."

Regina pulled off the sweater that was still hanging from the blonde's elbows. She proceeded to peel the t-shirt off the blonde's body while Emma worked on undoing her jeans. The blonde paused and allowed the t-shirt to be lifted off over her head. Somehow Regina had managed to pull off her sports bra along with it.

Once the items of clothing left her top half completely naked, Emma when back to pulling down her jeans. Regina took this opportunity to pin the blonde against the door. She knelt down on her knees and assisted in pulling down the tight denim. The blonde leaned against the door to steady herself while her pants were taken off. Regina's eagerness to undress Emma did not go unnoticed.

The jeans had been removed quickly and the underwear proceeded to be taken off by the brunette as well. Regina remained kneeling on the floor. She took her time to appreciate the pink glistening flesh between the blonde's thighs.

"May I?" she requested permission from Emma.

The blonde stopped the brunette. Regina looked up questioningly at the blonde. Almost sad at the rejection.

"As much as I appreciate what you are about to do, I think it would be a lot better if we continue this in bed."

Regina smiled, relieved that the blonde wasn't trying to end the entire lovemaking. Emma helped the brunette get up on her feet and led her over to the already prepared bed.

The brunette laid on the bed first. Emma raised an eyebrow at her eagerness.

"Come here, sit on my face." Regina requested.

The blonde obliged without any hesitation. She carefully positioned herself and used the wall as support as there were no headboards for her to hold on to.

The smell of Emma's musky arousal was Regina's favourite thing, she decided. She lapped up the sleek juices in front of her. She used her hands to spread Emma open to gain better access. She licked the bundle of nerves repeatedly, keeping a steady pace.

Needing the brunette to go faster, Emma aided her by grinding and rocking her hips back and forth.

Regina plunged her tongue into Emma's core. She could feel Emma stop her grinding and moaned loudly at the pleasure. The brunette used her thumb to rub against the clit in a circular motion while her tongue lapped up more of her juices from the core.

Emma could feel her arousal building. She clawed into the wall, the feeling taking over her entire body. She allowed Regina to work her magic, careful not to suffocate her lover.

"Oh my god! Regina1 I'm gonna come!" Emma's breathing was ragged.

With another lick, the blonde came undone. A rush of fluid escaped her. The brunette pushed Emma slightly to allow the juices to flow freely so that she did not drown.

The blonde looked down, surprised to see that she had ejaculated all over the brunette.

"Oh my god! I'm so sorry!" Emma scrambled to get off the other woman.

Regina chuckled as she wiped her mouth with the back of her hand. "Don't apologize. You're amazing!"

Emma turned away to hide her blush. She did not know that she was even capable of ejaculating.

"I've never done that before!" the blonde admitted.

"I love you," Regina said absentmindedly, unaware of what she had just admitted.

Emma smiled and turned back to look at the brunette.

"I love you too."

* * *

 **A/N: Awww... they love each other! Things may not be too pleasant from here on out. Will their love be strong enough to survive Gold's wrath?**


	18. Chapter 18

The day had moved by very slowly. Regina wished that she could have joined Emma at the gym but she would have risked being recognised by some of the youths who probably had heard of her and they may leak pictures of her online risking having the sports world making things difficult for her especially trying to lay low. The blonde's apartment had very little entertainment. There wasn't even any workout equipment which made sense since Emma spent most of her days at the gym which was a short walk away, there was no need to have the same equipment she could get her hands on for free.

Seeing Emma leave in her gym attire made Regina miss working out. Not that she missed Dragon Claws but the brunette's figure was not as toned as it once was when she was in fighting shape. Not having a nutritionist and training while she was on the run had softened her toned muscles. She wasn't exactly getting fat as she did not have a lot of food to eat. She was thankful that she did not put on extra weight. She pinched her tummy and frowned. It was a good thing that she had not noticed these changes the day before or else she would not have had the confidence to do what she did the night before.

Feeling self-conscious about her body, Regina had decided to spend the day working out. She will just use her body instead of depending on equipment. There may not be a punching bag but shadow boxing would be enough to wake up some of her muscle memory. She usually did some simple exercises before working on some shadow boxing.

The brunette laid out a towel Emma had bought for her on the floor and laid on it to start on some sit-ups. She could feel her muscle ache slightly when she did her first sit-up. It felt like she was doing it for the first time in her life. She didn't think it would have been that bad. After doing a few reps of sit-ups, it got a little bit easier but the pain was still there. Regina had worked out every single day of her life. Not doing it for a few months had taken its toll on her body. She could still do it as many times as she used to, just not as fast and not without any aches and pains.

Resting her abs, she switched to doing push-ups. She placed two fists on the towelled floor and propped herself up, preparing herself for the push-up. She slowly lowered her body to the floor and slower still, pushed herself up. Her arms had gotten a little skinnier and the muscle had shrunk significantly making it a little hard to push herself up smoothly. She switched to placing her palm flat on her floor instead of the previous fisted position. She refused to put her knees down. She just needed to slowly ease into her workout. She will eventually get back to her previous body if she keeps up on her workout regime.

Regina knew that she probably won't be able to stay with Emma for long not as long as Gold was still breathing. She knew sooner or later Gold would know that she had stayed with the blonde. It was probably the first place he had looked if he was even looking for her.

About an hour of push-ups, Russian twists, planks and jumping jacks, Regina laid flat on her back. She needed to rest as her entire body was aching beyond anything she had felt before. She closed her eyes and tried to relax.

There was a knock on the door. The brunette groaned. Annoyed at the interruption and also the fact that she had to get to the door.

"Lily? If that's you, use your key!" Regina shouted from her position.

When there was another knock on the door, the brunette whined. She turned on her side and slowly pushed herself up off the floor. She regretted pushing herself in the workout. Every little movement she made hurts. It took her a while to reach the door. She was thankful that the apartment was small.

Glad to finally have reached the door, Regina did not bother to look through the peephole to see who was at the door. She unlocked the door and turned the knob.

The hair on the back of her neck stood up at the sight of the person at the door.

"Mom?!" the brunette gasped.

She studied the sight before her. She almost couldn't recognise the woman standing in front of her. Cora did not have any makeup on, her eyes were sunken. She wasn't dressed up and her hair was messy. Her arm was in a cast.

"Mom? What happened to you? What are you doing here?"

Was this a trap? How did her mother know where Emma lived? Was Gold using her? Why was she in a cast? She had so many questions and she did not know which one she wanted to be answered first.

Cora started crying.

"Mom? What's going on?" Regina wanted to reach over and comfort her mother but she wasn't sure if she could trust her mother.

"Run!" The elder woman said.

"What?" Regina was confused.

"Gold, he's here! He asked me to come and get you. He is parked out front. You need to go before he sees you!"

The brunette finally registered the situation. She was about to run but stopped when she saw a figure coming towards them.

"I knew you would betray me, Cora." Robert Gold said as he grabbed the older woman by her neck.

"Let my mother go!" Regina warned.

The old man smirked and twisted Cora's hand that was attached to her injured arm. Cora screamed in agony. The cast that was supposed to immobilise her arm movement did little to prevent the arm from getting twisted.

"Stop! What do you want Gold?" Regina asked, desperate to protect her mother.

Cora couldn't look Regina in the eye. She was ashamed at how she had treated Regina and how she had allowed Gold to manipulate her daughter when Regina did not even think twice to try and protect her. She felt like she did not deserve it.

"You are still under contract with Dragon Claws."

"Your quarrel is with me. Leave my mother out of it." Regina tried her best to not jump out at the vile man.

"Unfortunately, dearie, your mother is also part of the contract."

Regina and Cora exchanged looks. The pleading look in her mother's eyes broke her heart. She didn't know that Cora was being punished for her actions. She thought that since Cora and Gold had been plotting together that her mother would be on the manager's side.

Nobody said a word. Mr Gold took it as a cue for him to continue.

"I have a proposal for you. A new contract."

"What's in the contract?" Another trap? Regina thought to herself.

"You'll be free from Dragon Claws. You and your mother will no longer owe me anything. You can go on with your life… on one condition."

The young brunette raised an eyebrow. "What's the condition?"

Gold flashed a toothy grin. "You will fight one last match."

"That's it? Just one match? What's the catch?"

"You've gotten wiser."

Regina ignored the comment and waited for an answer.

"This match you'll be fighting in will be an international championship with Russia's best female fighter."

"And?" Regina was still waiting for the catch. There was more to this match. She could feel it.

"In this match, you'll have to lose."

"You want me to throw the match?"

"I want you to lose convincingly. You will be badly injured and sent to the hospital or… the grave."

Cora's eyes went wide. She looked at Gold to see if he was seriously proposing sending Regina on a suicide match.

"Why don't you just kill me now and get it over with?"

"I want to keep Dragon Claws' reputation as the world's greatest gym."

"I fail to see how my losing will help you with that."

"This Russian fighter will be your new replacement. She has been trying to join Dragon Claws for years. Her way in is to destroy you."

Regina paused to consider the offer. She'll finally be free from Gold and so will her mother. The brunette looked at how tightly his hand was gripping Cora's neck.

"NO!" Cora screamed and struggled in Gold's grip.

"I'll do it… but my mother will be free from Dragon Claws now. She will no longer be involved with the gym or my career."

Gold scowled and thought about Regina's proposal. He no longer had any use for the old woman. He had Lacey now who was much younger than Cora. She seemed perfectly fine with how Dragon Claws was being run. He shrugged.

"Sure." He released Cora and the woman almost fell to the ground if Regina hadn't reached out to catch her.

"Are you okay?" Regina asked Cora.

"What have you done? You could get killed in that match!" The older woman cried.

"What choice do I have? At least you're free now."

"I'd rather die than lose you," Cora said to her daughter.

"I'll survive the match," Regina reassured her mother.

"I don't have all day to wait around and witness this family reunion. Go get your things. We are leaving for New York immediately.

The brunette led her mother into the apartment and sat her down on the sofa. She quickly gathered her things and scribbled a note for Emma to take care of Cora while she went back to Dragon Claws one last time and that the blonde shouldn't worry about her.

Regina hugged her mother before leaving. She will be back. She promised. Cora clung tightly onto her only daughter.

"Don't go. Please don't go." The mother pleaded.

Regina silently peeled herself away from her mother's embrace and left the apartment with her packed duffel bag slung on her shoulder, closing the door behind her.

Cora cried hysterically.


	19. Chapter 19

Emma had probably read and reread the note about five times before she registered the content. Regina had gone back to Dragon Claws with Robert Gold to prepare for a final match before she could be released from her contract and in the meantime, the blonde was tasked to take care of Cora Mills, the last person she had expected to greet her when she got home that afternoon.

David had given Emma half of the day off for covering Ruby's leaving early to babysit his kids. The blonde was planning on taking Regina out on a date which would have been their second date if the brunette had still been in the apartment. If only she was home earlier, she could have stopped Regina from leaving.

Cora gave Emma some time to process the information. She had not moved from the spot Regina had placed her. She felt uncomfortable being in that tiny apartment but she had nowhere to go. She didn't have any of her belongings with her.

"Did Gold mention when this match was going to take place?" Emma asked the grieving mother.

"No." the elder woman replied, her words barely audible.

"It's probably going to be a big fight so there will be some kind of publicity when the time comes." Emma thought out loud.

"You need to stop her from going back to the gym! Gold is going to have her killed!" Cora begged.

"It's your fault that Regina was in this situation in the first place! You practically sold her soul to the devil!"

"I know." Cora looked down, avoiding looking Emma in the eyes, feeling guilty for her past actions. "I was blinded by the fame and fortune Regina was getting. I let my guard down and did not see how my only child had suffered all these years." She wiped the tear that had dampened her cheek.

Cora was either a very good actress or she had truly regretted her actions. The blonde thought. It was then that she registered the cast on the old woman's arm.

"What happened to you?" she asked.

"Gold," Cora replied.

Emma didn't know why but Cora's answer made her blood boil. She wanted to kill Regina's manager for what he had done to both Regina and her mother.

The old woman's frail state was a stark contrast to how Emma remembered her. She did not look as old and feebly months ago. Emma wondered if Regina left Dragon Claws in a similar state since it took her months before arriving in town. She shook that thought from her mind, not wanting to be enraged by a speculation.

"Would you like something to eat?" the blonde asked to break the silence.

"Yes, please," Cora answered. Suddenly remembering she hadn't eaten anything since leaving her room in New York. She was too worried about Regina to bother with her own needs. She was, however, surprised by Emma' hospitality.

*.*.*.*.*

David Nolan went over to Emma's apartment after Emma had called him and filled him in on what had happened. He was clearly angry that he did not protect Regina better. He should have insisted on Regina staying at his home. He thought that he had scared Gold away but clearly that man was persistent.

"Mrs Mills…"

"You can call me Cora." The elder woman interrupted David.

The Believe founder smiled and continued. "You should come to stay with my family. My wife used to be a nurse. She will take care of you and nurse you back to health."

"That is not necessary. I will feel a lot better when Regina is safe." Cora said.

"We'll do our best to get Regina away from Gold but you need to be looked after in the meantime. You don't look well." David insisted.

"I don't want to trouble you or your family."

"At Believe, we provide salvation to those who need it. We don't just run a gym. Let us help you."

Cora looked up into David's deep blue eyes. She could see the sincerity and love from the man standing before her. She didn't feel worthy of his kindness. She was a monster and she deserved to be punished.

As if David had read her thoughts, he patted Cora on the shoulders and said, "Don't punish yourself for what you did in the past. We all make mistakes. You just need to work on being a better person. But before you can do that, you need to make sure that you treat yourself better and love yourself. That is the only way you can be a better mother for Regina. She needs you."

His words touched her soul. Cora burst into tears. She had never felt so loved since her husband had died.

David knelt in front of Cora and offered her a box of tissues that Emma had handed him as soon as she saw Cora crying.

Wordlessly, Cora took a tissue paper and blew her nose in it. She needed to get stronger for Regina.

"Alright, I'll go with you," Cora said, finally.

*.*.*.*.*

Robert Gold had wasted no time getting Regina on his private plane back to New York. He had asked his pilot the night before to prepare the plane and have it ready in the morning.

Regina was glad that she had the freedom to roam around on the plane. She had thought that Gold would have her confined to a seat. She figured being on an airborne plane would be enough to ensure that she couldn't escape.

There were very few places on the private jet for Regina to get some privacy. She decided to lock herself inside the restroom. She turned the lock and backed away from the door, mentally distancing herself from Gold. She took a deep unsteadying breath. Her days were numbered. Once the match date gets finalised, she will know the day she would die.

The brunette turned the tap on, releasing a gush of water flowing down the sink. She cupped her hands and gathered as much water as her hands could fill and splashed the water onto her face. The cold water was a welcoming touch to her burning eyes. She had been crying ever since she left her mother at Emma's apartment, she knew that it was unfair on Emma to leave that way, to dump her mother into her life while she disappeared from it.

She turned off the tap and stared at her reflection in the mirror. _You need to survive this, Regina. For your mother's sake. For Emma's sake!_

 _Emma_. How was she going to react when she hears the news? Regina hoped beyond hope that the blonde would stay away from her and Gold. This was her way out of the contract. Even if she was going to die, at least she didn't need to suffer under Dragon Claws' brutal regime anymore. She had no way of communicating with the blonde. She did not have Emma's number with her and she also did not have any cell phone.

A loud knock on the bathroom door snapped her out of her thoughts. She saw in her reflection that tears had been streaming down her face. She hadn't realised she had started crying again. She wiped them quickly with the back of her hands before opening the door. She raised an eyebrow questioningly at her disgruntled manager.

"It is a long flight, dearie. I hope you don't plan on being in here the entire flight. It's the only bathroom in the entire plane."

Regina rolled her eyes and walked past the old man. He grabbed her by the wrist and spun her around, twisting it in the process. The brunette winced at the agonising pain.

"Watch yourself! You won't like it when I'm angry!"

She dropped her tough act and lowered her head.

"I'm sorry, Mr Gold," Regina said softly. She knew what the man wanted to see and hear. Obedience and submission. He manages with an iron fist and disliked his fighters to be rude.

He twisted her arm slightly bringing a new wave of pain further up her arm. Regina fell to her knees. She whimpered in pain.

"Know your place! Or you'll be dead long before the match!" Gold warned her before releasing her wrist.

The brunette retracted her arm and hugged it close to her chest. She had forgotten how mad with power Robert Gold was. She had to be smart and not get on his bad side if she wanted to survive in Dragon Claws.

The manager entered the bathroom. Regina got off the floor and walked over to her seat. She blocked the pain from her mind and stared out the window. This was going to be a long flight. She prayed that the plane crashed to put her out of her misery.

An image of Emma looking lovingly at her appeared at the front of her mind. She had something to live for. She had someone to fight for.

 _I will see you again, Emma Swan, I promise you I will._

* * *

 **A/N: Any guesses on how the match will go? It will be some time before the match itself. Will Emma be able to anything to stop the match from happening? Let me know how you think the story will play out.**

 **I will try to update this story as regularly as possible but I do hope that you can be patient about it was I try to ensure that I do the story justice.**


	20. Chapter 20

**A/N: Sorry I'm not updating this very often. I'm going through some stuff in my personal life that makes it a little difficult to write. I am usually able to finish a chapter in one sitting but due to what is happening to me I took several days of writing and rewriting this chapter and doubting myself. My level of motivation is so low and I feel like I am letting so many people down for not being able to update as often as I would like. That is also the sequel to 'Reset' that is waiting to be written.**

 **Anyways I hope I've done this chapter justice. Will try to get the next chapter up as soon as possible. Cheers!**

* * *

It was surreal being back at the Dragon Claws hostel room. Everything was exactly how Regina had left it. Memories of Gold's assault on her replayed in her mind. The brunette's knees gave way and she dropped to the floor. Regina's entire body started trembling as tears formed in her eyes and she began sobbing uncontrollably. The trauma still fresh in her mind. No matter how tough she acted around Gold she was actually extremely terrified of that man.

The sound of footsteps in the corridor made her freeze as she could hear them approaching her room. The footsteps came to a stop right outside her door. Knocks sounded on her wooden door. Fearing that it was her manager, she quickly pulled herself together and wiped her tears. She did not want to give the vile man the satisfaction of seeing her broken.

"Regina?" a familiar female voice the brunette hadn't heard for months called out.

Regina quickly opened the door to see Kathryn standing in the doorway.

"I heard that you were back. I had to come and see for myself." The blonde smiled.

"Oh, Kathryn!" Regina pulled Kathryn into an embrace. She was glad to see the woman at her door.

"You should have stayed away. What are you doing back?" the blonde asked rhetorically.

Regina gestured for Kathryn to enter her room. She checked to see that there wasn't anybody lingering in the corridor, before closing the door behind them. The two women proceeded to sit on the bed.

"What's going on?" the blonde was confused by the brunette's demeanour.

After taking a deep breath, Regina explained her situation.

"Oh! Regina! Don't tell me you are going through with the fight?! That's insane!"

The brunette sighed. She knew it was crazy of her to do so but what choice did she have?

"I have to. I don't really have any other option." Regina said, more to convince herself.

"But what will happen if you actually win the match instead? Could that be your loophole?"

The brunette's eyes grew wide. She hadn't thought about that being a possibility. The condition of the agreement was for her to lose convincingly and be severely injured from it or die during the match. Gold didn't really specify what would happen if despite trying to throw the match, she won instead. Though the possibility of that happening was very slim. There was no way the judges would award a win to someone who took a lot of deadly blows to the head.

She thought about it for a moment before replying to the blonde. "I told him to leave my mother out of Dragon Claws. But I don't know if a miraculous win will void that caveat."

"You're not sure?" Kathryn asked warily.

Regina shook her head no.

"Did he make you sign a new contract?"

"No. It wasn't exactly a convenient time to be doing any contract signing. I mean he was practically strangling my mother in front of me." Regina's bluntness took Kathryn by surprise. The brunette was starting to get annoyed by the bombardment of questions from the blonde. Her fatigue making her very testy.

Kathryn gasped at how nonchalantly Regina brought up the confrontation. Although the blonde was familiar with how strict Gold could get, she had never actually witnessed the man being quite so brutal.

"I'm sorry, Kat. I've just got back from a long flight. I'm still adjusting with getting back to this hell hole."

The blonde flashed an empathetic smile. Before she could respond to the brunette, the static noise from the PA system in the hostel interrupted them. Both women looked up at the tiny black speaker box on the wall of the room that hung next to the door.

"Attention Dragon Claws. This is Robert Gold speaking. I will need each and every one of you to assemble at the gym for an urgent meeting in thirty minutes."

Both of the women looked at each other questioningly. Although the PA system had always been there, it was never really used. They had almost forgotten that the thing was there.

 _What does Gold want now?_ Regina asked herself.

*.*.*.*.*

There were already about thirty fighters in the training area when Regina and Kathryn finally made it down there. Everybody was speculating what the meeting was going to be about. The brunette's presence silenced the room saved for some quiet gasps from those who were surprised to see the woman there.

Moments later, Robert Gold finally entered the room and walked towards the gathered group. He gestured for Regina to stand by him as he made his way to the front of the assembled members of Dragon Claws. Regina obeyed reluctantly. She was unsure of what was going on.

Nobody dared to make a sound. The entire room was deadly silent. Gold's Armani shoes clicked loudly against the hardwood floor that surrounded the mat. The general atmosphere was tense.

A small wave of his hands signalled for the gathered group to sit on the mat. The action was executed swiftly and quietly just the way he liked it.

The trainees quickly learned after a week of being locked in their rooms that Robert Gold was willing to turn to torture if anybody disobeyed him. Training had also changed post-Regina's escape. Training sessions had been scheduled in a way that limited interactions amongst the trainees to prevent them from plotting an escape or going against Gold. Some of the trainees started joking by referring to Dragon Claws as a _Gulag_. But after a couple of days living the harsh conditions, it was no longer a joke but a reality.

"Thank you for coming down so promptly." He addressed the room. "As you can see, our troublemaker, Regina, is back. I have told all of you when you signed your contracts that within your contract period, I own you." The owner of Dragon Claws said. "I decide when you will fight, how you will train, what you'll eat and drink, and how much rest you will get."

Everybody looked down, knowing full well how harshly he ensured the orders were followed.

"I train winners. It is very important that rules and guidelines are followed religiously. And if you try to break your contract, let's say by running away, as Regina Mills did, I will find you and drag you back here… and punish you!" Gold looked threateningly at the brunette.

"I hope this serves as a lesson to all of you. If you want to take your career as MMA fighters seriously, you will abide by Dragon Claw's rules."

"Now, Regina, your punishment will be two weeks of confinement to your room with only 1 meal a day and after that, we'll see if you are worthy of being trained again."

The brunette just looked down, displaying no emotions after hearing the information of her fate. She avoided eye contact with her peers. Too ashamed to be made an example of.

"As for the rest of you, go back to your rooms!" Gold ordered.

Everybody, except for Mr. Gold and Regina quickly left the training area. Once the two were alone, Gold grabbed Regina by the throat.

"I'm going to make sure you lose the extra weight you have gained. In fact… I'll make sure you weigh the minimum of the weight class." The man smiled menacingly. "We need to make sure you don't have a fighting chance of winning that match."

The brunette swallowed thickly. Fighters usually try to hit the maximum weight in the weight class to have the added advantage of being stronger than the opponent. Fighters go through intense methods to just meet the maximum weight allowed for the weight class. If Regina was forced to be so much lighter than her competition, she will have to ensure that she brushed up on her techniques and agility to avoid strong blows that will knock her out.

"Your career will end with you turned into a bloody pulp! Regardless of whether you make it out of the fight dead or alive, this match will be the most memorable MMA fight in the world."

Mr Gold released his grip and left Regina in a heap on the mat as he exited back to his room.

"Oh, I will survive… and I will make your life hell." Regina promised under her breath.

* * *

 **A/N: I wish I have Regina's Fighting Spirit right now...**


	21. Chapter 21

**A/N: Thank you for the encouragement, support and understanding. I am feeling a lot better. Let's see if I can pick up the momentum while I am doing better.**

* * *

When it came to Emma Swan's personal training, she had always been in good form. However, Killian had noticed Believe's best fighter's reflexes were a little slack. The blonde had taken a little longer than usual to register the pad work he was giving her. He even managed to hit her with the mitt a couple of times which was fine if she wasn't a seasoned fighter.

Annoyed by her lack of focus, Killian clinched onto Emma and threw her to the mat before she could even register what was happening. To be fair, her trainer did give her ample time to react.

The blonde was startled out of her reverie. She didn't immediately get back up. Instead, she remained sprawled on the mat, shocked that she had missed a counter move to avoid the throw.

"What the hell is wrong with you, Swan?!" Killian asked angrily, bending over the blonde to look her in the eyes.

"Sorry, Kil. I've got a lot on my mind."

"Clearly," Killian said dryly as he removed the punch mitt from his right hand and offered to help Emma get off the mat. "I've told you before when it comes to training, you cannot be distracted. You need to be able to leave your baggage out of the ring if not it can cost you your life."

"It's not like I have a fight lined up!" The blonde yelled as she got into a sitting position, hugging her knees.

Killian was thrown off by Emma's sudden outburst.

"What's going on Emma? The trainer was concerned by her behaviour.

The blonde sighed. "I'm sorry. Can we cut today's training short?"

"Sure. But are you alright? I'm sorry if I'm pushing you too hard." Killian offered his hand to assist her up.

"It's not that at all. It's Regina."

The Irish man raised his eyebrow. "You're still upset about that match? I'm sure they will give you back the title when the investigation is over."

For a moment Emma wasn't sure what Killian was talking about before she figured out that her trainer had not been updated of Regina's recent appearance at Believe a couple of days ago as he only got back from his vacation the day before.

"No. I'm not talking about that fight. I don't care about the title. I'm referring to Regina's upcoming match. She proceeded to explain the drama of the day before.

"Wow" was all Killian could manage.

"I don't know what to do. I'm sick with worry." The blonde said.

"You should go and rescue her."

*.*.*.*.*

"You're joking, right?" Lily said when Emma told her that she was going to New York to rescue Regina.

When Killian suggested the idea of a rescue, the blonde immediately gathered her things and left the gym leaving her trainer confused as he could not read what she was thinking.

"I'm not. I'm going to take a week off and bring Regina back." Emma said as she packed her backpack.

Her roommate rolled her eyes and pulled the half-packed bag away from the woman the brunette thought was in a dire need of an intervention.

"HEY!" Emma whined when her bag was taken away.

"Emma, I know you really care about Regina but from what you told me about her manager, I think you going there alone is not a good idea."

The blonde knew that Lily was right. She needed help to get Regina out of Dragon Claws.

"If you'd join me, I won't be doing it alone." Emma pleaded with puppy dog eyes.

The lanky brunette stared blankly at the blonde.

"You can't be serious."

Emma shrugged.

"Let's say I join you in this insane quest. What's your plan?" Lily questioned.

"We get in Dragon Claws…"

"Uh huh."

"We grab Regina while she is training."

"Uh huh."

"Then we run like hell."

Lily raised an unimpressed eyebrow.

"That's it? That's your entire plan?"

"Yup. Very straightforward."

"And stupid. Em, that is not a plan. That is the worst idea I've ever heard! And we have thought that turning tricks on the street was a great way to survive on the streets."

Emma cringed at her past life decision. Feeling hopeless, she slumped down onto the sofa. She knew as soon as she said it that it wasn't much of a plan.

'I just… I don't want her to die." The blonde said quietly but Lily heard her.

"Look, I don't want her to die either but there is nothing we can do."

"There has to be a way. I have to do something, Lil, or I'm gonna to go crazy." Emma started tearing up.

Lily pulled the blonde into her arms and let her cry in the brunette's shoulders. She hated seeing her best friend like this. She was not a big fan of Regina and how she had completely turned Emma's life upside down but she knew she had to help her roommate rescue Regina somehow.

"Maybe if we find someone who is familiar with the layout of the gym?" Lily suggested.

Emma peeled herself off of the brunette and wiped her tears. She furrowed her brows in thought.

"Could Regina's mother help? She's staying at David's right?"

"I don't know… I don't want to give her false hope and if David finds out that I am even thinking about this, he will try to stop me." Emma said.

"Right."

The two of them looked dejected. They sat silently as they tried to come up with a plan of action. Emma looked towards a spot along the wall where Regina's duffle bag sat during her short stay there. A small slip of paper caught her eye.

She didn't know why she was drawn to the random scrap of paper. It wasn't as if their apartment was squeaky clean but the fact that it laid at the exact same spot where her lover's bag used to sit gave her hope that it may have dropped out of the brunette's sack of limited possessions.

Brown eyes looked on curiously at the roommate's odd interest on the floor.

The blonde picked up the paper and inspected it. One side of it looked like it was deliberately torn off a bigger piece of paper. The many creases on the corners suggested that the 'scrap of paper' had been kept for some time. She flipped it over nervously wondering if she was putting too much hope on something that had a high chance of being nothing. Her eyes grew wide when she saw scrawled across the small paper in blue ink was a phone number. Could this be a clue that she needed? No. She needs to calm down. _It's a random phone number. It couldn't possibly be this easy. Could it?_

"Is this yours, Lil?" Emma asked, her voice hitched in her throat.

"What is it?" The brunette asked as she joined the blonde across the room.

Emma showed her the mysterious item.

"I've never seen it before. Maybe some hottie at a bar slipped this to you and you didn't call back the poor soul." Lily speculated.

"It can't be. I've been busy at the gym and besides, I've tidied up a bit when Regina started staying here. I've never noticed it before."

"You think it belonged to her?"

"Her name is Regina," Emma said slightly too angrily.

"Right. Sorry. Do you think it belonged to Regina?" Lily didn't mean to dehumanise the famous fighter but she didn't think it was an appropriate time to clarify at the moment while her roommate was clearly too emotional to have a rational conversation.

"Only one way to find out."

The blonde pulled out her phone from her back pocket and started dialling the number. Her heart started racing. She had no idea who would answer the phone but she felt as if it was the most important phone call in her life. That this phone number would change everything.

Her palm got sweaty as she entered the last digit. Her heart pounded harder when she heard familiar ringing sound on the line.

After two rings, the call was picked up.

"Regina?"

* * *

 **A/N: Who is on the other line? Any guesses?**


	22. Chapter 22

"Regina?"

"No… this is Emma."

"Swan?"

"Yes." The blonde was a little surprised that the stranger on the line knew her name.

"Is Regina with you? Is she okay?"

Emma went silent. She did not know how much to reveal. It was clear that this phone number was given to Regina for a reason but she needed to know how much to divulge.

"Hello?"

"Hi. Sorry. Who am I speaking to?"

"Graham. Graham Humbert. Regina's trainer. Did Regina give you my number? Where is she? Can I speak to her?"

"Erm… Mr Gold has her."

"Fuck! Are they still in San Francisco?"

"I don't think so. They're probably back in New York by now."

"Did he hurt her?" Graham's voice was hoarse.

"I don't know. I wasn't there when he took her. Graham, she's in trouble. She made a deal with Gold."

"What kind of deal?" The former Dragon Claws trainer could taste bile in his mouth. He knew any deal with Gold would not be good.

"She has to lose in a match with some Russian fighter in order to leave Dragon Claws for good."

The Scottish man was confused by the deal. Regina could hold her own in the cage. The deal did not sound too bad. He knew there has to be a catch to the arrangement.

"That's it?"

"No." Emma swallowed before continuing. "For the deal to be completed, Regina will have to lose the match either by getting severely injured or… die." The blonde's throat constricted on the last word.

Emma stopped talking giving Graham time to let the news sink in. Lily gave the blonde some space. She may not know who Graham was but she knew he would help them with Regina's situation.

"I should have followed her to San Francisco." Graham finally said. "It's my fault Gold got to her."

"If you want to take the blame for this you will need to get in line," Emma said to try to assuage the man's guilt.

"Why would she accept such a deal?"

"Gold used her mother as leverage."

"He brought Cora along."

"She's in bad shape. She is being taken care of by Believe's founder, David Nolan."

"Gold really knows which buttons to push."

"Graham, we need to save Regina."

"Text me your address. I'll leave for San Francisco tomorrow morning."

Emma ended the call and texted her home address to Graham. For the first time since learning that Gold got Regina, the blonde finally felt like she could breathe again. She was getting help.

 _Hang in there, Regina. I'm coming for you._

*.*.*.*.*

 _Hang in there, Regina._ The brunette motivated herself as she looked at her reflection in the bathroom mirror. It was a new day but her body was feeling weak. All she had to eat for the past two days were a slice of plain white bread three times a day. Gold was not kidding when he said that he was going to make sure that Regina's usual fighting weight of 125 pounds was lowered to 115 pounds.

Every morning, the manager would wake Regina up by banging her door loudly at 6 a.m. He would then proceed to weigh her. She was currently 132 pounds. All the junk food she had been eating, while she was on the run, had contributed to this torture. If she had watched what she ate and worked out a little maybe Gold would have allowed her to have a proper meal.

No. Who was she kidding? That man would find some other ways to torture her. She was lucky he was still feeding her. _Lucky?_ She snickered. How could this fate of hers be considered luck? The image of her mother at the doorsteps of Emma's apartment popped into her mind.

"At least Mother is safe," Regina said to herself.

She washed her face and carried on with her morning routine. She had devoured her 'breakfast' earlier without brushing her teeth, her hungry stomach couldn't wait to be fed.

Not allowed to do any training meant that there were very few things she could do to pass the time. Her bedroom did not have any source of entertainment. She had some books she had bought over the years but she was in no mood to read any of them. She had the fight to prepare for.

Regina reached under her bed and pulled out her makeshift gym equipment. She had tied a stack of books in an old t-shirt, creating a makeshift kettlebell. She had found a new use of a few plastic bottles she had accumulated from her matches at Venus FC. She filled them up with water and turned them into dumbbells. She twisted two old sheets and tied them with twine and turned them into ropes. She tied the ropes to her bedroom window. Although it was tempting to climb out the window to try to run away again, she did not want to risk anybody else paying a price for her disobedience. She had managed to save her mother for the time being but she knows that it won't happen a second time. Furthermore, Gold knows where Emma lives now. She cannot jeopardise her love as well.

Gripping the ropes tightly in her hands, she whipped both ropes simultaneously. Making sure to make big swings with her arms. She tried to do so for as long as she could before taking a break. She couldn't move on to another workout without a long rest. Her lack of food affecting her endurance.

The brunette kept pushing herself with the workouts until it was nearly lunch time and she had to hide all of the items again.

After lunch, she would proceed to do shadow boxing. She would try to recall the combination moves Graham had taught her. She wished she had punching bags in her room like some of the other fighters. Shadow boxing was good for her to practice her forms but it does not feel as good as exerting her strength onto another object and feel how powerful her punches were.

 _This match will not be your last. You will make it out of this._ Regina reminded herself.

She pictured Gold in front of her. She threw a few jab, hook and uppercut combinations. Imagining his face getting distorted with each strike, getting bloodier and bruised. Adrenaline kicked in and she added a few kicks in the mix.

Suddenly everything went black and she felt her body hit the ground.


	23. Chapter 23

**A/N: Warning, Gold is really disgusting in this chapter. I have left out the sordid details. You can use your imagination to fill in the gap.**

* * *

"You can call off the investigation. If you couldn't find any evidence this long after the competition ended, chances are there wasn't any foul play. I take back the accusations against Believe and their fighter." Gold said into the phone receiver.

He sat reclined on his office chair with his legs resting on his table. Belle, his secretary sat across from him taking note of the conversation.

"I understand. Thank you so much for carrying out the investigation. I'm sure your team were thorough and did a good job. So how soon can the suspension be lifted?"

"Perfect. I'll arrange for a press conference."

"You want to have Believe be at the press conference as well?" Mr Gold brought down his legs and sat up. He looked at his secretary who had stopped writing upon hearing the last bit of information.

"I don't think it would be ideal… logistics wise. They are all the way in California and both Dragon Claws and your headquarters are in New York."

"You want to fly them over for such a small thing?"

"No. I get it. This was the first time Venus had a cheating accusation."

"You want a photo-op of all of us together?"

"You want Regina to present Emma Swan the belt?!"

"When do you want to have this press conference?"

"Alright, I'll be waiting for your call."

The old man slammed down the receiver.

"Fuck!" He massaged his temple.

Belle placed her notepad and pen down on the desk and walked over to her lover. She placed her hands on his shoulders and gently massaged them.

"I can't have those _lesbians_ share the same stage with one another. The focus is going to be more on their romance. They may say too much." Gold tapped on Belle's hand to signal for her to stop.

"Regina seems to understand her end of the deal. I'm sure she can convince Emma to be on her best behaviour." the young brunette suggested.

The owner of Dragon Claws pulled Belle in for a deep kiss. "You're brilliant!"

The secretary blushed.

"Get Regina. I'll have her talk to the blonde."

"Right away, Bobby." The brunette bopped him in the nose playfully before she twirled around, letting her short skirt fly up at the action, giving the old man a glimpse of her derriere. She picked up her writing materials and left the office.

Mr Gold's eyes followed each shake of the young woman's bottom until she had left his sight. He opened his desk drawer and pumped some lotion into his palm and unzipped his pants.

*.*.*.*.*

After getting no response from Regina, Belle used the spare skeleton key her boss had entrusted her with. She unlocked the door and poked her head inside. She started panicking when she didn't see the prisoner in the room.

The secretary slipped into the room and closed the door behind her, not wanting to draw any attention from the others at the dormitory.

She took a deep breath and slowly walked deeper into the room. Her heart started racing when she saw a lifeless body on the floor.

Belle rushed over and felt for a pulse at Regina's carotid artery. She breathed a sigh of relief when she felt a strong pulse. Regina stirred under the touch.

Upon realising a foreign hand on her person, the fighter moved away from the other in the room.

"Calm down, Regina. It's just me, Belle."

"Belle?" The confused brunette blinked, forcing her vision to come to focus on the face of the other woman. She glanced around the room when she remembered what she did that caused her to faint. She was glad that none of her 'workout equipment' were out of their hiding place.

"Are you okay? Do you need to see a doctor?" Belle sounded genuinely concerned.

Regina did not know if Belle could be trusted. She had been a new addition to Dragon Claws shortly before the truth of Regina's fame was revealed to the fighter. Gold had decided he needed the extra help but Regina had suspected it was more for the CEO of Dragon Claws to attain a level of credibility. It didn't take a genius to figure out Gold and Belle are sexually involved. Regina wondered if the secretary had real credentials or did her resume come in the form of how short her skirt was. The young brunette was dressed like a typical slutty librarian straight out of a porno.

"Regina?"

The fighter realised that she was staring at Belle's revealing cleavage. She cleared her throat.

"What are you doing in my room?" Regina's voice sounded hoarse. Her throat was dry from not talking all day.

"Mr Gold wants you in his office." Belle looked sympathetically at the prisoner. Her heart broke for how Regina was treated but she knew that she couldn't go against her boss' wishes.

"Why did he send you? One would think that he would have loved to see me broken and defeated."

"You're not defeated yet."

There was something in the way Belle said it that made Regina wonder if the secretary was on her side. She thought better of it. There was no way someone who was blindly in love with Robert Gold could be anything human.

The older brunette headed to the bathroom and washed her face. From her reflection, she saw how pale she looked. _You're not defeated yet._ Belle's words echoed in her head. She may not have trusted the woman but she could always use some motivation.

*.*.*.*.*

Gold tossed a soiled tissue into the trash bin next to his table. He never did need to take long to finish ever since he had hired Belle. He wouldn't call his secretary his girlfriend but she was always up for a quickie every now and then. But for the moments in between, he had to take matters into his own hands.

The old manager was glad the women took their time to reach his office. He could see the two brunettes approaching. Belle knocked on his door.

"Mr Gold, Regina is here to see you. Shall I bring her in?"

"Yes. Yes." Gold said impatiently.

It turned out that he hadn't fully dealt with his urges. He wanted the whole matter with Regina to be over quickly so that he could have Belle help him with some other 'pressing' matter.

Belle held the door open for Regina to enter before she exited the office and closed the door behind her.

"Take a seat."

Regina raised an eyebrow. She had been at Dragon Claws forever and summoned to the office countless times but not once had she been asked to sit down. She looked at Gold sceptically. When there was no change in expression, the brunette obeyed the request.

"Now what I need you to do is not something I am pleased with but it must be done before your suspension from joining a fighting championship is lifted."

Regina was intrigued but did not say anything.

"I was on the phone with Venus FC earlier and they have concluded that there was no reason to believe that cheating was involved."

The brunette rolled her eyes. She had already known that the match was fixed. The only problem was the one who fixed the match was the one who called for the investigation.

"They want to hold a press conference together with your girlfriend and her manager."

Regina's jaw fell open. Was she going to be reunited with Emma Swan?

"Before you get too excited, I want to make some things clear."

The brunette closed her mouth and listened intently.

"The press is going to ask about your relationship with Swan. You are to tell them only one thing: it was just a fling in Miami. When you ladies left Florida, the relationship ended. Do you understand?"

"Will Emma be doing the same?" Regina asked.

"That is the reason I asked you to my office. I need you to explain the situation to your lover. If either of you refuse, the match won't happen and the deal is off and that includes your mother. I know that she is staying at David Nolan's home. I have someone tracking her every move. I just have to say the word and your mother will be killed."

Regina balled her hands into fists. Despite being miles away, Cora was still not out of harm's way.

"So, you understand what I need you to do?"

"Yes."

"Good."


	24. Chapter 24

**A/N: I am so sorry for the delay in chapter update. I have moved to a new work posting which makes me very happy but unfortunately, it also kept me really busy and drained. I'll do my best to update as often as I can. I hope you will be patient with me and I hope you will enjoy how this story will end. Follow this story to get notified on updates when it comes.**

* * *

Emma paced around the apartment nervously. She had the afternoon off coincidentally. Graham Humbert had just texted her saying that he had reached San Francisco and she replied with directions to her apartment. It would take about half an hour to reach. The blonde couldn't help but be hopeful that the man would be able to help her rescue Regina. She couldn't contain the feeling that she would soon be reunited with her love. She kept glancing at her phone to check the time and for any messages from Graham.

She wondered how time could fly so fast when the brunette was staying with her and how time was almost at a standstill when Regina was so far away from her. A thought suddenly crossed her mind. Could she really trust this stranger from Dragon Claws? Sure he helped Regina run away but what if he was the one who tipped Gold off about where Regina was the last few days? Was it a mistake to let the man come to her apartment? She wished that Lily didn't have to work a full shift that day.

While convincing herself that she had made the right decision, Emma did not realise that Graham had texted her and a knock on the door pulled her out of her reverie.

Not able to back out of the meeting now that Graham had arrived, Emma prayed that this was the right thing for her to do. _Here goes nothing_.

She opened the door with slight trepidation. The blonde peered out of the door just in case it was a trap.

"Graham?"

"Emma?" Graham echoed the blonde's tone. He too had his reservations but not for the same reason as the blonde.

The blonde opened the door fully but remained standing in the doorway. The man before her was slightly shorter than she was. He was wearing a leather jacket and tight jeans. Graham had a full beard and looked a little scruffy but in a handsome way. He had the kind of look most girls would fall for. She wondered if Regina was ever attracted to her trainer.

"Can I come in?"

Emma snapped out of her thoughts and stepped to the side to allow the visitor to enter her apartment.

The Scottish man noticed the abysmally small apartment right away. He tried to picture how both Emma and Regina had managed to live in such a small space. He realised his thought was showing on his face as the blonde did not look too pleased with his judgement.

"Cosy apartment," Graham said nervously.

"Do you want anything to drink?" Emma said, changing the subject so that she won't try to kill her only way to reconnect to Regina.

"Sure."

"Beer?"

"Yes, please."

The blonde nodded and headed into the kitchen.

The Scottish man was glad to have a moment alone to scold himself for being so rude. The moment was short-lived as Emma had already returned with two bottles of beer in her hands.

Graham took one bottle and nodded his thanks. Emma had already opened the bottle for him. He took a sip. He welcomed the cool beverage. He hadn't had anything to eat or drink that day as he left the inn he was staying in the morning. His new girlfriend Ruby, the waitress at the diner attached to the inn, had insisted that he should at least bring along a sandwich to eat on the bus. He regretted not having any breakfast. Despite being famished, he was too shy to ask Emma for food.

"So… have you thought of how we are going to do this?"

"I have been thinking about it on the bus ride here. The options are all very risky."

"I expect as much. Pretty sure Gold is not the kind to let his prisoner break free twice."

"Regina told you about what Gold did to her?"

"Not in so many words. She looked so broken. I hate that man. How is it that nobody reported him to the authorities?"

"He has his way of getting away with things. Plus nobody dares to speak out against him."

Graham took another sip.

"He is not going to be able to carry on with this much longer."

"You're going to report him?"

"Only if you'll testify against him."

"As much as I would love to see the bastard behind bars, my testimony would not be enough as he has an influence on very powerful people."

"Speaking from experience?"

"Years ago, a relative of a fighter who died 'during training' reported that Robert Gold murdered the guy after he lost a match. The case got thrown out of court as there was no concrete evidence that he was murdered."

"Was he murdered?"

"Without a doubt. Gold forced the fighters to kill the guy. If they don't he will arrange for the fighter to be permanently injured and never fight in the ring again."

"Were you involved in the murder?"

"No. That's how I got a permanent injury that prevents me from ever fighting again."

"That's fucked up." Emma felt disgusted by what she was hearing.

"Regina is special. I personally chose to train her so that I could protect her. I saw how Gold took an interest in her talent and knew that she was at risk of suffering the same fate. The worst thing for Regina was that her mother practically sold her to Gold in exchange for a better life."

"I think Cora Mills is paying the price. She looked terrible."

"Cora may not be on the top of my favourite people list but she is Regina's mother so I won't say that she deserved it for the way she treated her daughter."

The two of them silently sipped on their beer.

"So you said that you thought of how we were going to do this," Emma said, bringing the attention back to the reason Graham was there in the first place. She led them to the sofa.

"Yeah… so what I've been thinking is…"

*.*.*.*.*

Since Emma couldn't just go off to New York without getting a few days off, she got Lily to cover her shifts for the following week. Now, it's just a matter of convincing David that she needed to spend a week alone to deal with the loss of Regina.

She tried to go over to David's office but kept finding excuses to delay what needed to be done.

"Emma?"

David's voice surprised the blonde who had been standing outside the office lost in thought.

"Sorry David."

"What are you sorry for?" The CEO asked puzzled by Emma's strange demeanour.

"Huh?"

"There's a phone call for you. It's Regina."

"What?" Emma pushed past David and rushed into the office, almost knocking her manager over.

She picked up the receiver from the desk and put it to her ear, sceptical that her lover was on the line. Maybe David was pulling a prank on her? _It couldn't possibly be Regina, could it?_

"Regina?"

"Emma!"

"Is it really you?! I'm so happy to hear your voice again."

"I feel the same way."

"Are you hurt? Why are you calling the gym though?"

"Listen, Emma, the result of the investigation has concluded and Venus FC wants to have me present your title to you. They want a press release here in New York."

"You mean, I will get to see you again?"

"Yes." Regina's heart ached at the longing in Emma's voice.

"And Gold is okay with this?"

"Here's the thing, in order for us to see each other in New York is if you do exactly what I am about to tell you."

Emma did not like the sound of that. Regina seemed to be really serious. The blonde had a bad feeling that whatever Regina was about to tell her will not be pleasant. If it meant that she'll be able to see the brunette again, she would do just about anything.

The silver lining to this situation is that she doesn't have to lie to David about going to New York. Believe will finally get recognised on a national level when Emma's title win gets reinstated.

The blonde took a deep breath and prepared for whatever hoop she needed to jump through to see her girlfriend again.

She will need to update Graham of the change of plans later. It was strange to have a man share the tiny apartment together with Lily, considering that lack of sleeping areas.

"Tell me what I need to do and I'll do it."

"Good."


	25. Chapter 25

**A/N: Thank you guys so much for following this story and being patient with me. I have a treat for you! 2 new chapters! Enjoy!**

* * *

The day of the press conference had arrived. It had been expedited to being in two days instead of a week. Gold wanted to take the opportunity to announce Regina's upcoming match during the press conference hoping to gain as much attention to it as possible and not allowing Regina any chance of backing away from it, not that she had much choice in the matter.

The press conference was taking place in the lobby of Venus FC headquarters which was where they usually stage their press conferences and they are able to have the whole place set up in a matter of hours. The reason the press conference could not take place any sooner than two days was because they needed to make arrangements for Believe to fly out to New York.

The seats were starting to be filled up by sports reporters from across the country as well as some international media that could make it in short notice.

Dragon Claws representatives were being kept in a meeting room on the second floor. Regina paces up and down the room, chewing on her thumbnail. She was about to see Emma again for an hour and somehow she had to contain the excitement and lie about their relationship.

Gold had hired extra security of his own to make sure that the brunette did not try to escape. He explained to the organisers that the security was needed as Regina Mills had garnered a lot of fans and the security was to ensure that the fans did not start a mob especially since the lobby was open to the public as well.

Unbeknownst to Robert Gold, Graham was in the building as well. He had attended quite a number of press conferences there in his day. The operations had been pretty similar each time. He had made it over to New York on an earlier flight paid by Emma to try and scout which room Dragon Claws were being held in. David wasn't too pleased with the rescue mission and didn't want to be a part of it.

He spotted the organiser near the stage and walked over to the short man. He looked around to make sure that nobody from Dragon Claws spotted him.

"Leroy, right?"

The short man turned to the person who was talking to him.

"Yes? Graham?! How are you doing?"

Graham sighed in relief that the organiser remembered him.

"I'm good. Leroy, listen, I know you're busy…"

"I'm never too busy for my favourite fighter. I missed watching you fight in the cage, man."

"Yeah well, I 'm just glad I could impart my knowledge on Regina Mills."

"Right! You're her trainer. What are you doing out here? Shouldn't you be up with the rest of the crew?"

"That's why I'm here. I had to double back to the gym on the way here and I couldn't find where the holding room was. I could try contacting them but I left my phone at the gym when I went back there. I swear I would lose my head if it weren't attached to my body."

Leroy laughed. "I know what you mean man. DC is up on the second floor, turn right when you step out of the elevator. Look for the 'Mars Room'. The big security guards outside the room would be a good indicator you're at the right room."

 _Shit! Of course, there would be security!_

"Thanks man! Hey! Is Believe here yet?"

"Yeah. They've just arrived. They are down the corridor from you guys over at the 'Apollo Room'."

"You guys really love naming things after stuff in space don't you?"

Leroy gave a hearty laugh.

"Nah. It's actually Roman Mythology. If you ask me, the rooms assigned are very fitting to each gym."

Graham's interest was piqued but he didn't have time to hang around.

"Well, I better go join the others before the press conference starts."

"See you!"

Graham flashed a smile before heading towards the elevator. The door to the elevator opened.

"Graham?"

 _Shit!_

*.*.*.*.*

Emma paced back and forth. Graham should have updated them when he had made contact with Regina. He hadn't texted or answered any calls she had made. She looked up at the wall clock. The press conference was going to start soon.

There was a soft knock on the door. The blonde rushed to open it. _Finally!_ She thought to herself.

"Hi, Emma. Are you ready?"

Emma couldn't stop the look of disappointment from appearing on her face when instead of the scruffy face of Graham showed up at the door, it was a young Redhead with a Scottish accent.

"Um. Yeah. I guess."

"Great! I'll be back in five minutes to bring you down to the conference."

"Thanks."

The curly red hair bounced as the young girl leaves the room.

"Why hasn't he made contact?"

"I don't know. But we are running out of time." David said.

The door burst open. Everybody in the room turned to see who had just barged in.

"Graham!" Emma exclaimed.

"What happened?"

"Sorry, Emma. There were too many security guards guarding Dragon Claws' green room. I couldn't make contact."

"But you know which room she is in, right?" The blonde asked, hopeful that the answer would be the one she wanted.

"Yes. They are in the Mars Room at the other end of the corridor."

"Great!" Emma made a move to leave but David stopped her.

"Whoa! Where do you think you're going?"

"I'm going to see Regina."

"You _will_ see her. In five minutes. At the press conference."

"I won't be able to get a chance to talk to her during or after the press conference."

"I don't think Mr Gold would allow you to talk to her before the press conference either," Graham added.

"Even if you could, you might put her in danger and not to mention yourself as well." David reasoned.

"It's alright, Emma. I think there is someone in Dragon Claws whom we can trust."

"Who?"

*.*.*.*.*

Belle entered the Dragon Claws' green room and handed a Starbucks cup to Mr Gold. He was a little stressed that day and needed his favourite drink.

"Thank you, dearie." He took the drink and looked around the room to ensure nobody was watching before he pinched her bottom.

The petite girl squealed much to the old man's delight.

"I know another way you can help me take the edge off." He whispered into Belle's ear.

"Oh, Mr Gold, you are so bad." She giggled.

Regina felt like she was about to lose her breakfast.

Bella saw Regina looking at them and gave her a small smile. The former Queen of the Cage turned away, embarrassed to have been caught staring.

The secretary excused herself and walked over to Regina.

"How are you feeling?" She asked.

"Nauseous"

"Regina, there is something I need to tell you."

"Look, Belle. What you do with Gold is none of my business. You are clearly into it."

Belle blushed.

"That's not what I was going to say."

The two women didn't notice the runner entered the room.

"Dragon Claws, you have five minutes before the press conference begin."

"Thank you." Regina acknowledged the Scottish girl.

"We don't have much time," Belle said.

Regina snapped her head around and faced Belle questioningly.

Belle whispered in Regina's ear. "Graham wanted to pass this to you."

 _What was Graham doing in New York and why did he trust Belle despite knowing her relationship to Mr. Gold?_ The brunette thought to herself.

The secretary discreetly slipped a small folded piece of paper into Regina's hand.

"Why are you helping me?" The confused brunette asked in a low voice.

Belle said nothing and instead winked at Regina before walking away.

Regina looked around to make sure nobody was looking before she unfolded the slip of paper.

 _We're coming to rescue you._

 _-Emma_


	26. Chapter 26

**A/N: Yes you saw it right! Another chapter!**

* * *

Regina walked over to the seat assigned to her at the panel. The crowd cheered loudly when she appeared on stage. She waved humbly at her adoring fans before finally taking a seat. Mr Gold sat next to her. She turned to see the 'Believe' team have yet to be seated. She craned her neck to see if she could spot the blonde off stage.

The brunette flinched when she felt an iron-like grip on her thigh. She had been caught by her manager. Right away she whipped her head around and looked forward. The approval of the action was rewarded with the removal of the clamp on her leg. _Keep your cool Mills_. Regina reminded herself.

"And all the way from San Francisco, representing the Believe gym and here to claim her rightful title, Emma 'The Saviour' Swan!" the emcee announced and the crowd cheered ten times louder.

Regina could not help but feel proud of her girlfriend's achievement. When they first met, the blonde was practically unknown. Despite Emma's shot to fame was a result of the scandal surrounding Emma and Regina, the fans were there because of Emma's talent. The brunette wished that she could look into green orbs one more time. The mere proximity to the blonde made her heart race.

Emma took her seat on the other end of the stage. David Nolan accompanied her as expected.

The announcer then called upon the president of Venus FC to give a speech. Regina zoned out and thought about the note she had received from Belle. Why did Graham pass that note to Belle French? Can she be trusted? How the hell was Emma going to rescue her? And how did Emma and Graham know each other?

A nudge to her shoulder pulled the brunette out of her reverie. It was time to hand the title belt to Emma Swan.

Regina got out of her seat and walked around the long table to the Venus FC president who was holding the belt. She flashed a wide smile and took the belt. The brunette then walked to the middle of the stage where Emma stood waiting to receive the belt.

 _Don't look her in the eyes. Don't look her in the eyes._ Both women chanted to themselves.

Regina handed the belt over to Emma and they both shook hands awkwardly. Regina wished they had rehearsed this. Should they have hugged given their history that the public had been privy to? Anybody with eyes could see the sexual tension radiating off the both of them.

The two women stood a little longer, holding the belt between them while reporters took pictures of the historical exchange.

The announcer cued both women to return to their seats. One of the Venus FC crew took the belt from Emma and displayed it on the table in front of the blonde.

"We will now open the floor for questions." The emcee announced.

Hands shot up as the press tried to get the opportunity to ask a question. A reporter from a renowned sports magazine got selected first.

"Regina Mills, you have held this title for many years, how does it feel to no longer be the 'Queen of the Cage'?"

The brunette knew this question was going to be asked and she was glad that Mr. Gold had Belle rehearse the answers to potential questions leading up to the press conference.

"I have trained very hard to hold on to that title. When I first won it, I was new to the MMA scene much like Miss Swan was. I can't say that I am happy to no longer be known as 'Queen of the Cage' but I am glad to have lost it to a talented fighter. It just motivates me to do better in future matches."

Another reporter was selected.

"Emma Swan, many sports analysts have reviewed your match with Regina Mills, most of them believed that Regina was the better fighter. How do you feel about the judgement?"

"Well… I too felt like Regina was a better fighter. In the cage when you fight with an opponent as skilled as Regina is, you can feel the forms. She had a lot of great moves and she managed to throw in a lot of punches, I know because it took some time for the bruises to heal. But at the end of the day, we have to leave the judgement to the expert judges that the organisers had picked. In sports, there have always been times when you feel like a wrong judgement was called when your favourite team loses. I have to believe that the judges knew what they were looking out for and it was a very close match. I gave my best shot and the judges had deemed that I won fair and square."

"Miss Mills, there were speculations that Dragon Claws called for the investigation on the match that you lost. Care to comment on that?"

Regina turned to her manager. She wished that she could reveal it all. Tell the world the truth but she knew that Gold would make her suffer the consequence one way or another.

"It didn't matter who called for the investigation. The whistle blower's identity is unknown to me. What I know is that a long investigation was carried out and it was done extensively that was why it took so long to come to the conclusion that there were no foul play. Emma Swan won the match and I find that it was a very close fight and she deserved the title. If there was an opportunity to win it back, I would love to be back in the cage with Miss Swan and face off with her again."

The lustful undertone had not gone unnoticed by some of the reporters.

"Are the two of you still dating since the leaked video of the two of you kissing on Miami Beach?"

"We have never dated. We may have hooked up back in Miami but we live so far apart and have crazy schedules. This is the first time I am in the same room with Miss Swan since Miami."

"Is Regina Mills as good in bed as she is in the cage?"

Emma stammered into the microphone. Regina tried hard to fight the blush that was colouring her cheeks.

"Now, now. Let's keep the questions professional. We are here to talk about MMA. Don't sully your reputation with gossips." The president of Venus FC said saving Emma Swan from having to answer the embarrassing question.

The next few questions were tame and safe, not wanting to be the next reporter to be called out and lectured in front of their cohorts.

Finally, the reporter Mr. Gold planted was given the opportunity to ask a question.

"Regina Mills, now that your fighting ban had been lifted, will we be seeing you in the cage anytime soon?"

"I'll have my manager, Mr. Gold, answer that question."

Regina pushed the tabletop microphone stand towards her manager.

"I have Regina Mills training hard consistently every single day whether or not she has a fight lined up. And since the ban was lifted, I have many fighters wanting to be in a cage with one of the best female MMA fighters in the world. I would like to take this opportunity if I may, to announce an upcoming match on a global scale. Regina Mills will be back in the cage next month in a UFC match held here in New York City. She will be fighting Elsa 'The Ice' Vasiliev."

More hands were raised. Clearly, the reporters have heard of Elsa's growing reputation in Russia. There have been rumours of her wanting to join an American team. If Elsa could beat Regina in a match, her net worth would skyrocket.

Most of the follow-up questions were directed at Mr. Gold. Regina tried to glance over at Emma but her view was blocked by Mr. Gold, the president of Venus FC, and David Nolan.

The press conference finally concluded and the rivals took different exits off the stage.

"You did well Regina. Now all that's left is to lose in the final match of your career or maybe even your life." Mr Gold whispered sinisterly in her ears.

"Can I see her? Please? I never got a chance to say goodbye."

"Are you fucking kidding me?!" Robert Gold exclaimed in disbelieve at the gall of his prisoner.

"Oh come on, honey! She did a good job. I can escort her if you like. I will make sure she doesn't run off or do anything stupid with that blonde." Belle used all of her charms to persuade the beast.

"Alright, dearie. You have ten minutes. You better not be caught tongue deep by the paparazzi."

"Oh, you big softie!" Belle gave Gold a peck on the cheeks and hurried Regina out of the green room.

"I don't know how you could fall for such a monster." The brunette said to the secretary when they were out of earshot.

"Regina, listen. I'm not just a secretary."

"I know. You are Mr. Gold's girlfriend. Everybody at the gym knows that."

"No, I don't mean that. I've been sent by the FBI to investigate Robert Gold for racketeering. More specifically in terms of illegal gambling and match-fixing."

Regina laughed. "Good one, Belle."

"Miss Mills, I'm being serious." Belle pulled out her badge from her handbag.

"Holy shit! You _are_ for real!"

"Shh… I need you to keep this quiet. Nobody knows about me."

"Why are you telling me this?"

"I need your help to bust his ass."

"If you need me to knock him out, I'm game."

"Unfortunately, I need to catch him in the act and that means the match with the Russian fighter needs to go on."

"You do realise that I might die in that match, right?"

"I am aware of that and that is why I am revealing my identity to you. I'm on your side and if you need any support just know that I'll be there to help you."

The brunette sighs. "I'm willing to die for the cause if it means the bastard gets locked up for life."

"Thank you."

"I hope the Feds pay you extra for having to sleep with that jerk."

"Thankfully, I have managed to avoid doing that."

"Really?!" Regina said in disbelieve. "Let's hope that you never have to do it with him."

"Amen, sister!"

The young fighter continued walking down the corridor but Belle stopped her.

"You cannot reveal my identity to anybody else. Not Emma, Graham or your mother. The fewer people who knows about me the better it will be for me to catch Gold."

Regina nodded her understanding. She couldn't imagine what it was like to go to the lengths Belle had gone through to gather enough evidence to stop the crimes Robert Gold had been committing. She just hopes that she was not putting her life in danger for nothing. Belle needed her as much as she needed the federal agent.

 _Now, how do I convince Emma to call off the rescue mission?_


	27. Chapter 27

"Regina!" Emma exclaimed when she opened the green room door and saw the brunette on the other side.

Unable to contain their excitement of seeing each other again, they pulled each other into a deep kiss. Belle looked away to give the ladies some privacy.

"I thought I had to fight your bodyguards to get to you," Emma said once their lips parted.

"Prison guards more like. Wait… was that your big rescue plan?" Regina joked before kissing Emma again.

The secretary cleared her throat ending the kiss. She needed to make sure that she got Regina back to Gold on time if not she would have to do something she hated doing with the despicable man.

"Are you okay?" Emma asked.

"I am now," Regina said smiling.

Emma eyed the woman standing behind Regina, unsure if she should be careful what she said in front of the stranger.

"Oh! This is Belle. She's erm… Gold's secretary. But don't worry. We can trust her."

"Do you mind if I borrow Regina for a minute." The blonde asked the third wheel standing in the corridor.

"Sure. But Regina only has five minutes before she has to get back."

"Understood," Emma replied before bringing Regina inside the Apollo Room.

Regina entered the room and spotted a familiar scruffy man.

"Graham!" She hadn't realised how much she missed her friend. The brunette ran up to the former trainer. "Did you bring Ruby with you?" She asked.

"No. But she's texted me a lot for updates on saving you."

"Right." Regina put on a serious face and turned to face Emma. "Listen, Emma. I'm gonna have to go through with the fight."

"Regina, you can't be serious. You're gonna die if you do!"

"Maybe … but, I'm gonna need you to support my decision."

"You mean your decision to walk to your death?! Not a chance, Regina. We're getting you out of here and away from that monster." Emma grabbed the brunette's wrist.

"Stop! Emma! I can't!"

The blonde looked questioningly into Regina's chocolate eyes. She could see how determined and steadfast her girlfriend is with her decision.

"If I don't go through with this, he will kill my mother." The brunette continued.

"David has your mother safe and sound at his place."

"Gold has eyes on her. He said that the second I refuse to go through with the deal, he will have her killed."

"He's bluffing."

"I'm not willing to take that risk. I'm actually here to stop your foolish plan to save me." Tears started forming in Regina's eyes.

"So you're basically saying goodbye."

"I never did get a chance to before I left San Francisco." The brunette cupped Emma's face in both her hands.

"Please don't leave me."

"I'll always be right here with you, Emma." Regina kissed Emma with all of her heart.

"Are you sure?" Emma asked breaking the kiss.

"I've come to terms with my fate. This is how it's meant to be."

"I'm going to miss you so much."

"Me too."

The two women embraced in silence. They did not have much time to spend together. This was the end. The men in the room were holding back their tears. Both Graham and David wished that they could do something to change Regina's decision but it was clear that there was nothing they could do to change the mind of a woman who had sacrificed her life for her loved ones.

There was silence in the room save for some quiet sobs. Soon after, there was a gentle knock on the door.

"Regina? I'm sorry but we have to go." Belle said through the door.

"I love you." The brunette said.

"I love you too."

The lovers kissed a final goodbye before Regina pulled away and exited the room. Emma collapsed to the floor, her legs unable to carry her any further. She started sobbing uncontrollably.

Graham and David's hearts both broke at the sight.

*.*.*.*.*.

"You did the right thing, Regina," Belle reassured the crying brunette.

"You better do your job well or else I'm going to haunt you for the rest of your life," Regina warned as she stormed back to the Mars Room.

She knew that it was mostly her decision to go through with the deal in the first place but knowing that she had a sliver of a chance to run away from fate led her to question her decision. What if she could escape and found a way to be away from all of it.

No. There was no way she could live with herself if she had been the reason for her mother's demise. This was the only way. Gold will be put away and nobody else will have to suffer. Her life in exchange for others who had suffered under Robert Gold.

*.*.*.*.*.

Emma Swan had not said a single word since seeing Regina again. She had landed back in San Francisco unaware of what was happening around her. Graham had flown back to Seattle seeing as there wasn't anything left for him to do.

David felt sorry for the blonde. He had never seen her so broken. Not even when she first entered his gym. He couldn't think of anything to say to make things better. In a month's time, the woman Emma was in love with may end up six feet under and there was nothing anybody could do to stop or prevent it from happening. He had failed to help the person who had become a part of his family.

The two of them got into a private hire car David had booked on his phone app and headed home from the airport.

Once they had reached Emma's apartment, she unlocked the door and walked in, leaving the door ajar.

"Hey! How did it go?" Lily asked her roommate but received no answer.

The blonde dropped her bag on the floor and laid on the sofa.

The lanky brunette crossed the apartment and stood next to her manager.

"What happened? Where's Regina?" Lily asked David in a whisper in case the question triggered the blonde.

"She refused to come with us. Emma did not take it well."

"Oh," was all Lily could say in the situation.

"Look after her. I'll let the two of you take some days off from work until she's better."

"Thanks."

"Let me know if anything changes."

"Of course."

David took his leave and Lily closed the door behind him. She walked cautiously towards the blonde.

Emma was crying into her pillow. The brunette knelt next to the blonde and patted her head.

"Sweetie, do you want to have some ice-cream and binge-watch your favourite shows on Netflix?" Lily asked.

The blonde did not say anything in reply but she nodded her head that was pressed against the pillow.

"One wallow express coming right up!"

*.*.*.*.*.

 **A/N: Sorry for the delay... there has been a lot of things going on with my life. Just lost my job due to redundancy. I am looking for a new job and am very stressed. This chapter was written before the whole situation. I don't know when the next chapter will be up. I'm so sorry. I intend to finish this story but it might take some time before I can be ok enough to write again. I hope you enjoy this chapter and the story thus far.**

* * *

Regina was back in her room at Dragon Claws. She knew that Emma did not take the news well. She can only hope that her girlfriend will forgive her for choosing this path. At least she got a chance to say a proper goodbye this time.

On their way back to the gym, Mr Gold had informed her of the match date. She has exactly twenty-eight days to train and prepare for the match. If there was a chance she could actually survive, she was going to do everything in her power to do just that.

The brunette laid on the floor and started on her workout. She started with some sit-ups. She needed to build up her abs so that she can take a lot of punches and not get too hurt from the injuries she will sustain from the hits.

She was on her fifth rep of twenty sit-ups when a brown piece of manila envelope slipped through the small crack under her door. She stopped mid exercise and got up to inspect the item.

There wasn't anything written on the envelope. She opened the stationery to see what it contained. Inside were pages of printed articles regarding her opponent, Elsa Vasiliev.

Belle must have sent her the envelope. Regina concluded. She walked over to her bed and sat down. She laid all of the articles across her bed.

The articles were mostly about matches the Russian fighter had fought. In them were some information about how she won, the moves she used and also her training background.

If Regina could find a pattern or similarities in how Vasiliev fights, the brunette may be able to anticipate the Russian's moves and maybe even not be too hurt. She may have a chance to live after all!


	28. Chapter 28

**A/N: Happy New Year everyone! Sorry for the late update. I have written this chapter a while back but my beta reader had been travelling during the holiday season. I'll try my best to update as often as possible. Anyways... I hope you enjoy the chapter. Thank you so much for being patient with me. I have changed jobs and I feel that this year will be a great year for me. There is only a few chapters left for this story. Once this is done, I will start working on the sequel to Reset called Redemption. I know it's been a long time coming. I hope you guys will enjoy that story as well when it comes out.**

* * *

The information on her opponent's fighting strategy had been a godsend. Regina kept the pieces of intel under her pillow. She would work on deciphering Vasiliev's go-to finishing moves every single day. Even though the fighter's fighting strategies changes according to the opponent, studying the Russian fighter's past matches gave Regina an insight into how the opponent would counter certain moves so that the former Queen of the Cage could try to set up some of the same moves for Vasiliev to react in a certain way and Regina would not be caught by surprise.

The match was still two weeks away and Regina had been training diligently in her room. She had already shed off her excess weight thanks to the diet forced on her and the training she's been doing. Gold had been monitoring her weight to make sure that she would hit the minimum weight of the category.

Her meals now included proper food but were mostly carbohydrates based. Gold knew that Regina was probably working out in her room to prepare for the fight so he purposely avoided giving the prisoner any protein for her muscle recovery. Little did he know Belle had been supplying Regina with protein shakes.

Regina was sprawled on her bed, drinking protein shake from her water bottle while planning strategies when a light tapping on her door made her jump. It was hours past lights out. Gold had never made it a habit to skulk about the hallways catching the fighters who were up beyond lights out. He couldn't care less if the fighters were not getting enough rest as they were all adults and not children at Summer Camp. The young fighter knew that her manager would never knock on the door. He would just unlock it and barge in. So the only possible person on the other side of the door would be Belle.

Leaving incriminating evidence of her daily routine right where they were, Regina rushed over to the door.

"Hello?" The fighter asked through the door, not wanting to name her regular visitor in case it was somebody else on the other side of her door.

"It's me," Belle whispered through the keyhole. "I wanted to see if you were up."

"Yes. I'm wide awake."

"Good."

Belle did not say anything else. Regina was confused. Did the FBI agent just want to check to make sure that the fighter was not sleeping?

Seconds later, Regina heard the lock on her door unlock. Belle opened the door just enough to peer in through the crack. She wasn't surprised to find Regina wearing only a white tank top and small plaid pyjama shorts.

"What are you doing here?" Regina whispered at her unexpected visitor.

"I was gonna go down to Gold's office to find more evidence. I thought you might be interested to use the gym facilities while I'm there." Belle flashed a wide smile.

"What if Gold catches us?"

"He won't be up for hours. I gave him some sleeping pills."

"Is that how you avoid sleeping with him?"

"This was the first time he brought me up to his room."

"Really?! I'm surprised he had any self-control."

"He… didn't."

Belle sounded upset. Regina felt it would be better if she did not pry but she had an inkling as to what Gold might have done to his secretary.

"Hang on, let me change," Regina said bringing the FBI agent out of her thoughts.

"Hurry."

The fighter did not wait for Belle to close the door before she stripped off her tank top and put on a sports bra. The FBI agent couldn't help but stare at the muscular body before her. Regina had definitely lost all of her excess fat. Her body was toned although it did not have much definition.

The agent kept watching as two huge globes that were surprisingly proportionate to the rest of the body disappeared under the tight fabric of the sports bra. Her eyes trailed upwards to see chocolate orbs staring back. Belle gasped and closed the door.

Regina tilted her head to the side in amusement at Belle's reaction. _So, the FBI agent is gay._ She concluded. The fighter chuckled before she searched for her MMA trunks.

The two ladies headed down to the gym without saying a word to each other. Partly because they did not want to draw any attention to their late-night activities. Gold may be in deep sleep but his loyal supporters may expose them if they were not careful.

Regina did not want to waste time tying her hand wrap so she brought her gel knuckle guards instead. She put them on as they descended down the stairs. The fighter carefully did so while trying to not drop her boxing gloves that she had tucked underneath her armpits. Once she had her knuckle guards on, she proceeded to put on the gloves even though they were still one floor away from the gym. Her excitement on being able to practice on real sandbags didn't go unnoticed by the undercover agent. Belle knew that she didn't have to do her this favour but she was glad she did.

The FBI agent turned towards Mr Gold's office and disarmed the security alarm before unlocking the office door with a key the manager had given her to access any documents as part of her secretarial role.

She knew exactly where to look for evidence. She stumbled upon a suspicious folder on the computer that was encrypted. Her mission was to copy the folder and send it out to the tech department to decrypt it. She hoped that the folder had all the evidence she needed for the case. She had already ensured it wasn't Gold's porn collection as that could be found on the desktop of his computer screened plainly labelled as 'Porn'. She also clicked on that folder to make sure it did contain porn and not a way to hide incriminating evidence.

While the file was being transferred, she searched the office for any other documents that could be used against the vile gym manager.

As Belle was busy rummaging the file cabinets, Regina was in the gym for her work out. The fighter walked up to her favourite punching bag. It had indents on the sides where she had spent years creating them. The height was perfect and it had the right amount of firmness. Even though all of the punching bags were of the same brand, make and were bought at the same time, Regina felt that this particular punching bag was perfect.

She looked around to see that she was alone before she grabbed the punching bag in her arms and hugged it tightly.

"I've missed you." She whispered softly to the inanimate object.

The fighter released the bag and pushed it forward causing the bag to swing away from her. She then kicked the side of the bag upon its swing back towards her. The bag changed direction and swung to the left.

The feeling of punching the punching bag was so exhilarating that she kept punching harder and faster. For the first time since her Venus FC match with Emma Swan, she felt back in her element. This was when Regina Mills felt alive. This was where she felt like home.

*.*.*.*.*

Satisfied that she had searched every inch of the office, Belle ejected the storage device from Gold's computer and kept it in her bag. She placed everything back to its original location and locked the office door. She proceeded to arm the security alarm.

The FBI agent could hear Regina going at the punching bag in the gym. She smiled to herself as an idea popped into her mind. She walked over to her desk and pulled the bottom drawer open.

*.*.*.*.*

Regina practised some of the moves she had planned to use in her upcoming match. She had been working on the punching bag for about half an hour. The exhilaration she had felt earlier turned into frustration as she wasn't able to practice reacting to moves. All she could do was imagine Elsa Vasiliev's moves in her head and reacting to them on the bag.

"Need a sparring partner?" a voice from behind Regina asked surprising the fighter.

Regina turned to see Belle dressed in Dragon Claws T-shirt and MMA Board shorts. Her long tresses tied into a tight bun.

"Depends. How good are you?"

"I'm trained in four martial arts including Muay Thai and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu which was why I was assigned this case. I used to also teach Taekwondo to the new agents at the Training Academy."

"Okay. Let's see what you've got. Grab some gloves." Regina pointed to a shelf where spare grappling gloves were kept.

Belle walks over and grabbed two pairs. She tossed a pair to Regina who caught it with ease after removing her boxing gloves.

"Hang on! I don't have my mouth-guard with me." Regina remembered.

"Oh. Right. Where are they?" The FBI agent asked.

"In my locker. Let me run and get them real quick. Do you need one? I may have a spare."

"I've got mine right here." Belle fished out her mouth-guard from her pocket.

"Why do you have all this stuff?"

"Perks of working here." Belle shrugged.

Regina shook her head and chuckled. The magnitude of her impending fate forgotten at the moment and she felt relaxed and free. She ran to her lockers to retrieve the protective gear.


	29. Chapter 29

**A/N: Hey guys! Here is another chapter! Enjoy!**

* * *

It had been two weeks since Emma had returned from New York. David Nolan had offered to allow Emma to take time off from work to take care of her well-being but the blonde felt worst being cooped up at home. After three days she was back at work. However, the CEO did not allow Emma anywhere near the training area and was instead assigned to do paperwork with him.

After a couple of days of Emma's incessant whining of how dull the task was, the owner of Believe finally relented and allowed the blonde to go back to conducting training but only to the beginners' classes.

Lily was in charge of Beginners classes. The learners only learned basic punches and kicks. The trainer to learner ratio was one trainer per pair of learners. The classes rarely exceeded ten learners. This was a perfect arrangement to ensure somebody keeps an eye on Emma.

Lily and Emma were the only full-time trainers for the Beginners class. The other trainers were volunteers from the advanced classes that had expressed interest to be trainers in the future.

Emma Swan had not taught the Beginners class for some time but she welcomed the arrangement nonetheless. It was better than the mindless digitising of documents David had Long put off.

He was more of a hands-on person and preferred connecting with the at-risk youths than to sit at the computer all day documenting each of their progress. He would have hired more staff but the business was not making a lot of profit. The gym was dependent on donations and he would rather have the money go towards helping the youths.

The learners assigned to Emma were a pair of pre-teen twins named Ava and Nicholas Zimmer. Their mother had died during childbirth. Nicholas, the younger of the two, almost did not make it. An emergency caesarean was performed to deliver him before he died along with his mother. Their father raised them by himself but when the children were twelve years old, he had abandoned them. They had no other living relatives and resorted to theft in order to survive.

They had recently been sent to Believe by a social worker for them to have a sense of purpose. They had been a handful for Lily to handle and she was glad that Emma agreed to train them. Lily explained the twins' backstory prior to the class to mentally prepared the blonde.

At one glance, Ava reminded Emma of herself when she was that age. She could see a child forced to grow up too soon; a distrust of any adult. Hope was not lost and the need to survive was of utmost importance.

Nicholas, on the other hand, had a smaller frame from his sister. It was clear that he wasn't as brave or had the same survival instinct as his sister. On his own, he would never have made it on the streets.

Emma smiled at the twins. "Hi! I'm Emma Swan."

The twins looked at her but said nothing. Emma knew that the way to break the ice was to connect to Nicholas and gain Ava's trust.

"Let's see what you've learnt so far," Emma said.

She knelt down in front of the siblings and held her punching mitts up.

"Nicholas, why don't you go first?"

"Okay." He answered nervously.

The boy stepped forward in front of Emma in a guard stance ready to punch.

"Let's start with something simple. Left jab."

Nicholas gave a weak punch.

"Once more. I want you to give it your best shot."

The boy turned to look at his sister, unsure if he was allowed to try. Emma read the exchange.

"Look at the target." The trainer instructed.

The boy followed the instruction.

"Good. Now imagine the things that make you angry. Imagine this one punch will destroy them."

Nicholas focussed on the mitt and punched it as hard as he could.

"Awesome! Now do the same with your right hand." Emma said.

"What's the point? Are you seriously expecting all of our problems will disappear if we punched it all away?" Ava argued.

"No. Your problems will always be there. But you can either let that dictate who you are or you can push back and say 'No I decide who I am'. That's what I did." Emma explained.

"How can you even understand what we are going through?!" Ava shouted, drawing attention from the entire class.

"If you don't want to do this class you can sit at the sidelines for the next hour until your social worker picks you up."

"Great! Come Nicky." Ava motioned for her brother to follow but the boy did not budge. He looked between the two blondes.

"I think I want to learn. It's kinda fun!"

Emma smiled at the boy.

Ava rolled her eyes and muttered under her breath.

Lily drew attention away from the twins and encouraged the rest of the learners to continue with the lesson. The other learners were easier to manage as they had attended the classes for months. She has had experience with difficult children and youths but the Zimmer twins were the most challenging. She was sure that Emma had everything under control. The blonde was always good at these things.

Emma and Nicholas carried on with the lesson. Ava saw her Brother smiling and enjoying himself. She couldn't help but feel jealous of her brother's happiness.

That jealousy did not go unnoticed by the blonde trainer. She continued to compliment Nicholas's efforts.

"Are you having fun?" Emma asked the boy.

"Yes!" He answered enthusiastically. "You should try this, Ava! It's so cool!" The boy said excitedly to his twin.

Ava couldn't help but feel curious if she would actually enjoy it.

"Oh don't bother, Nicholas. Ava prefers to be bitter and miserable." Emma said just loud enough for Ava to hear.

Emma and Nicholas carried on with the lesson while Ava pretended to not have paid any attention to them.

Some time had passed and it was time for pairs of learners to take turns practising their moves on the punching bags.

The bitter twin was bored out of her mind. She did not want to keep waiting at the sidelines anymore. She grabbed a pair of gloves and joined her brother who was unable to find somebody to partner with.

Emma knew that Nicholas wouldn't have a partner. With Ava out of the class, there was an odd number of learners. Usually, when there was an odd number of learners, one group will be made up of three children. Usually, the instructors would arrange this but the experienced trainer knew that Ava couldn't resist pairing up with her brother whom the other learners are ignoring. Emma walked away from the class, pretending she needed to get something from the staff locker room.

She peered behind a wall and observed what she had expected to happen, Ava partnered up with her brother at the punching bag. Nicholas offered to hold the bag for his sister to punch first. She started punching a few jabs. She clearly enjoyed how that felt and proceeded to punch rapidly and enthusiastically.

Lily caught Emma's presence in the peripheral vision. The smile on her best friend's face was the first she had seen since the blonde's return from New York.

The lanky brunette walked over to Emma, making sure to glance over at her class every once in a while.

"I don't know how you always manage to get the tough ones to participate." Lily complimented her roommate.

"I knew Ava wanted to join in but she has trust issues. Their father abandoned them. That's gotta be tough"

"That's true. I'm glad you're smiling again."

"What?"

"That thing on your face? Is a smile." Lily teased.

"So?"

"So… you've been in a slump for a while. I think you've found yourself a new project that has woken up the Emma I know."

"You're right. It's been so long since I felt so relaxed."

"Come on. Let's get back to class before these kids start a riot." Lily joked.

The brunette walked over to the class first. Emma thought about Lily's observation of her. She's no longer feeling depressed. The match was two weeks away. There was nothing she could do to change the fact that it was going to happen. Her life should not be put on pause waiting for the inevitable.

She let out a sigh and joined the class. She has a lot of work to do with Ava and Nicholas.


	30. Chapter 30

**A/N: Hooray! New chapter! A little disclaimer, I have no idea on what the processes of an FBI investigation is so let's just imagine that this is how it goes for the sake of the story. I am also unsure of how the law works when it comes to criminal proceedings. If you are familiar with it, I would love to hear your input. Enjoy the chapter!**

* * *

It had almost become routine. Every two nights, Belle would be invited or asked to be invited to Robert Gold's room where she would slip him a sleeping pill. She would then proceed to invite Regina down to the gym where they would spar together.

Belle had all the incriminating evidence the FBI needed when she broke into Gold's office the first time. She decided to continue the sparring sessions with the fighter partly to prepare her for the match and partly for her own body's need for a workout. Sitting behind a desk all day every day was taking its toll on the agent's body.

Regina was very grateful for Belle's kindness in helping her train. Both women had analysed the Russian fighter's moves. The agent would execute the moves while Regina practised taking the hit or countering the moves. They picked and choose which hits Regina should take and which to avoid. They obviously chose to avoid the moves that could potentially be lethal.

Their sessions would end with both women applying ointment to the other. Mostly it would be Belle applying the ointment to Regina as she took most of the hits. The young fighter was sitting on her bed in her room while Belle applied the ointment on her abdomen.

"What if this doesn't work?" Regina asked.

"I'm sorry?" Belle furrowed her brows, unsure of what the fighter was referring to.

"All this training. What if it looked too choreographed?"

"Have you ever studied your opponents' moves before?" The FBI agent asked.

"Yes, but I never trained to take the hit. What if Gold don't buy it?"

"Look, what you're doing is mostly to prepare yourself mentally. Vasiliev is not here plotting the moves with you. We don't know how strong she is compared to you. You need to lose convincingly. If we're lucky, you'll walk away with a few broken bones rendering you unable to fight anymore in the future." Belle explained.

"Why can't the FBI bust him before the match? Do you need more evidence?" Regina asked.

"We can't use any of the evidence without a warrant. The snooping I did is to confirm the mission should continue as planned. If we bust him now, the evidence gathered could get thrown out of court before the trial even begins."

"Why can't the law be more straight-forward?" The fighter said exasperatedly.

"Don't lose hope. Look, the match is only days away now."

"Four days away." Regina reminded.

"Right. Four days and then the son of a bitch will be put behind bars for the rest of his life."

"I hope so."

Regina did not say anymore after that. She just sat quietly while Belle inspects her body for any more injuries. The ointment was Belle's own recipe. She had to hide her bruises often when going undercover. It was similar to what the fighters used but her recipe included some beauty tips.

"Hey, Regina?"

"Yeah?"

"Tonight was the last time we spar together. I told Gold that I would be taking the next couple of days off."

"Oh" Regina sounded almost disappointed.

"My undercover work is almost over. I need to prepare the task force for the arrest."

"Right."

Belle could sense the worry in the other woman's voice.

"I'll be there during the match, cheering you on."

"You don't have to. I'm sure you'll be busy catching all the bad guys."

"But I want to. I really am rooting for you to come out of this alive. I feel like we've really gotten to know each other… as friends."

Regina laughed.

"Who would have thought that in my last days I would be making friends in Dragon Claws of all places!"

Belle laughed as well. The FBI agent tucked a strand of Regina's hair behind her ear. "Be careful in that cage."

Regina drew her face closer to Belle's. The FBI agent bit her bottom lip. Just as they were about to kiss, Belle's phone vibrated.

The two women broke apart.

"I'm sorry. It's my alarm. I need to go do a status update." Belle explained as she got up and packed her belongings.

"Right. Of course. It's fine."

Belle hurriedly gathered her things and bolted out of the room. Locking the door behind her.

Regina let out an exasperated sigh as she laid down on her bed.

"What the fuck was that?" She asked herself, confused about the whole situation.

*.*.*.*.*

"Bye, Emma!" Ava and Nicholas said in unison.

"Goodbye! Keep practising! You'll both be in the advanced class soon enough!" Emma said to the twins who were being ushered away by Jasmine, their social worker.

"You are a miracle worker," Lily said as she sidled up next to her best friend.

"What?"

"It's one thing to have the twins join the class and behave themselves. It's another when they both enjoy the classes so much that they want to enter a competition." The lanky brunette explained. "And it's been what? A week?"

"A little bit more than a week, I think."

"I love seeing you like this. All happy with a purpose in life."

"Those two just needed something to look forward to. They're lucky to enter the foster system in this neighbourhood. Most places would have just tossed them around and probably even separated them."

"Don't tell me you're thinking of adopting them." Lily teased.

"In our tiny apartment? I don't think so."

The two women did not notice David walking up to them.

"Emma, do you have a minute?" her manager asked.

"Erm… sure. What's up?"

Lily went off to clean up the training area to give Emma and David some privacy.

"How are you feeling?" David asked.

"Great."

"Good."

"David?"

"Yes?"

"What's going on?"

David sighed. He knew he should be transparent with the blonde, she deserved that much, but he didn't really know where to begin.

"Robert Gold just called me on the phone just now."

"Robert Gold? Regina's monster of a manager from Dragon Claws?!" Mentioning the man's name left a bad taste in her mouth.

"Yes."

"What does he want?"

"Well, Regina's match is in a few days. He has offered to fly you out to catch it."

"You're kidding! Why would he want me there?"

David did not answer her. He avoided making eye contact with the blonde."

"What did he tell you?"

"Look, it doesn't matter what his intentions are. Do you want to go?" The manager hated that he brought this offer to Emma. He should have just asked Gold to rot in hell but he also knew that the blonde would want to see her lover one last time.

The blonde let out a deep breath. "Yes," she said in a whisper.

"I'll let him know," David said and quietly walks back into his office.

Emma watched as he walked away. She wondered if she was ready to watch Regina die. Tears started streaming down her face at the thought.

* * *

 **A/N:** **Looks like the match is only a few days away. I would love to hear what you think will happen at the match. Why does Gold want Emma at the match? Will Regina make it out alive?**


End file.
